Not What They Expected
by OtakuKidXD
Summary: AU fanfiction An heiress is spoiled, a girl can't fight, they certainly can't use Ki, and most never thought that Bulma could be useful outside her family name. It certainly surprised one prince of Saiyans and he wasn't alone for the ride. She may not be a front line fighter, but that didn't mean she couldn't be of help, After Frieza timeline BV eventually OOC moments more inside
1. Chapter 1: Returned From Namek, Trouble

Not What They Expected

By: OtakuKidXD

Summary: AU fanfiction. An heiress is spoiled, a girl can't fight and they certainly can't use Ki, and most never thought that Bulma could be useful outside her family name. It certainly surprised one prince of Saiyans and he wasn't alone for the ride. She may not be a front line fighter, but that didn't mean she couldn't be of help. This is my take on Bulma's character and it's the time after Freiza's defeat, BV eventually and many OOC moments. I suck at summaries, so more info in the first chapter AN

…

 **AN: So yeah, I've been reading a lot of fictions between Bulma and Vegeta and I decided to write my own, though if it seems that I'm ripping off of another story, I'm not trying to. It may be subconscious that I use similar elements since I'm reading them all the time, but there are things in mine that are specific for this story.**

 **First off, Bulma can use Ki because there is no way that she is around the Z fighters so much and didn't ask to learn it at some point. She doesn't have a lot of it either, she can fly but it takes a lot out of her due to the constant drain. She is more of a very high precision user in terms of Ki abilities.**

 **Second, people seem to forget that she knows Namekian. She had to know in order to fly her space ship to Namek in the first place. So yeah, she can talk to the Namekians on her own in secret without the others understanding if she were to chose to.**

 **And lastly, I am going to abuse the heck out of the fact that she was able to change the scouter's language to English or rather that she (in my version) is going to take that translator ability and abuse it. So in other words, spoiler, she knows Saiya-go, the Saiyan's language. That scouter has many other uses also; like she will also have access to the planets culture and history and already has it saved because she has hacked into Freiza's mainframe without being caught. Just accept it. She's a genius and has her reasons.**

 **Also, this is a Bulma x Vegeta, not a Bulma X Goku, no matter how the situations surrounding them seem. I also had her NEVER get together with Yamcha and her original reason for pursuing the dragon balls were different, because no one would ever waste a wish on a boyfriend.**

 **This is all I want to give away about this fanfic. Hopefully you enjoy. Tell me if you do or don't though so I know what to fix.**

 **In other words…REVIEW PLEASE…**

...

"Human Speech"

' _Thoughts'_

" _ **Namekian"**_

" **Saiya-go"**

…

Returned From Namek, Trouble Begins

…

"If you guys don't have anywhere to stay, you all can come stay at my place." The blue-headed heiress called out across the field holding her fist to her chest. "I have plenty of room at the compound and it's the least I could do. So, what do you say, come with me?" She looked around at the Namekians, holding out her hand in offer of a deal making hand shake. The 'new' oldest Namekian came forward, one hand on his hip and the other scratching by his antenna. "Are you sure you wouldn't mind? We're a lot of Namekians Bulma. We wouldn't want to intrude."

"It's no problem. You're looking at one of the richest and most resourceful people on this planet. Housing a few hundred guests is no problem for me. Besides, you were kind enough to offer your dragon ball's use later so housing is the least I could do." Bulma stuck her hand out in gesture again, hoping for reciprocation. "So, do we have a deal?" She smiled warmly at the Namekian's new leader.

' _New leader,"_ she thought/remembered, _'He must be new at this then and probably unsure of himself. After all, he's now responsible for so many more people. His people need a home and security at this time of insecurity. He'd better take my offer. I want to help them.'_ And it was true. The Namekians had just lost their Guru, essentially the closest thing that they would ever have to a father, and their whole home. They lost their planet and were brought here, to a completely different place. It was great that the Namekians had gotten wished back and that Freiza was gone, but that didn't mean the pain would lessen, now there were just more people to feel it.

It's amazing any of them made it back. With Freiza being the dictator and bringer of destruction he was, it wasn't likely that any of them _should_ have made it back. Honestly, it was a blessing. One minute they were on a planet about to explode, and then the next they were back on earth. Now it was simply a waiting game, for both the dragon balls and for the next villain. _'After all, we are THE most magnetic group for trouble.'_ Bulma thought wryly. It's been that way since they were kids.

" _ **Please accept my offer. Your people need a place to rest."**_ Bulma told the Namekian leader, holding her hand out even further, urging him with her eyes. Her usage of their language had many astounded; anyone that was in hearing range was in surprise except Dende and Gohan. Even the ever stoic Prince of Vegetasei had his eyes widen in surprise though he didn't know what it was that she said.

" _ **Where did you learn our language from child?"**_ The Namekian leader questioned Bulma, in awe of hearing someone non-Namekian speak the language. Bulma smiled and lowered her hands to her hips, proud of her accomplishment.

" _ **The ship we used to reach Namek was a voice activated ship and the only language it accepted was Namekian since that's where it originated. I have a friend here who learned from his master and taught me so my friends and I could use it. I kept at it until I was fluent, even if the ship didn't need so many words to operate. So, did I pass?"**_ She asked with a grin, wondering if they could understand her well enough. She didn't have many people that she could practice with anyways.

" _ **Yes child, you pass. Your accent is hardly noticeable. Is your offer of home still available? You're right we need a place to stay and it's kind of you to offer yours."**_ The leader chuckled then bowed his head towards Bulma for her gracious offer of a temporary home for all his kind.

" _ **Of course it's open. It's open for all of you, Vegeta included if you don't mind."**_ Her addition of Vegeta stunned them, and Vegeta hearing his name snapped his attention to the blue-haired female talking about him to the Namekians.

" _ **But why? He's a killer. He's not to be trusted."**_ The Namekian leader questioned Bulma, flabbergasted at her wanting to extend the invitation to that monster.

" _ **But he's also the reason Gohan is still alive and for that matter me as well. Yes, I'll admit he killed a village of your people, but if you'd like, we can bring them back with our dragon balls. At that time, for him, the only options were getting the dragon balls or death. It's not the best defense and he probably could have gone at it in a different way, but if the roles were reversed would you kill him in order for the chance at your, and most likely your people's, survival?"**_ __Bulma knew she had gotten them there. After all, a villainous act can be seen from another perspective as simply the best option at the time or even the right thing to do. In war, the opposing sides always view the others as the enemy and the villain. It all depended on which side you came from.

" _ **But child, this is different. He is evil and he's a killer. How do you know he will not stab you in the back?"**_ The leader implored. All the Namekians looked towards her now, hoping she'd see the error of inviting that monster of a being. Her answer surprised them if their gasps were anything to go by.

" _ **I don't."**_

" _ **Then how can you invite him to your home? He'll kill you!"**_ The other Namekians seemed to agree with him, throwing in their two pieces and affirmations with their words.

" _ **Because,"**_ she started, holding up one hand to silence them, _**"It wouldn't be the first time I house a killer, it won't be the last time I house a killer, and since when did I ever insinuate that I would trust him? I don't trust easily and that show of him being a savior doesn't mean that I trust him. The most I can give is the benefit of the doubt as Son-kun would and insure my family's and our safety through means of a bargain. Besides, I'm the best equipped on this planet to house a Saiyan besides Chi-Chi and other than Vegeta himself, I know the most about Saiyans. Even more than Son-kun and Chi-Chi, his wife, themselves."**_ She told the Namekian, straight faced and with her arms crossed in front of her chest and feet spread apart. _**"Besides, if he doesn't take up residence with me, where will he go? He has no access to a spaceship and will be wandering the planet on which I call home. I am not taking any chances with him deciding to harm others for his gains if I could just as easily keep him close and keep an eye on him."**_

" _ **But Bulma-"**_

" _ **We have a saying here on Earth, 'keep your friends close, but your enemies closer' and he may not be the real or true enemy to us right now. But I do need to keep an eye on him just as you are my friends and I'd like to keep you close to me as well."**_

The Namekians took it in. She was right in a strange way. If she did not watch the monster, then who would? And she clearly stated that she didn't trust him so her guard should be up, even if it may not do much good. And if he were still a dangerous enemy, it would be better for him to be kept on watch rather than left to his own devices here on Earth. Wait, how does she know about Saiyans?

" _ **How do you know about Saiyans? I understand that you say you can house all of us and taking care of HIM is a good way to keep an eye on HIM, but how are HIS needs much different from one of yours?"**_ One of the Namekians asked.

" _ **First of, I'm not saying that I can, I WILL house all of you and take care of your needs. And as for the question of his needs being different from, what I think you're asking, a human's, well, I practically grew up with Son-kun. I know him inside and out, his different Saiyan instinctual Do's and Don'ts, the way to care for a fighter as well as how to keep one entertained though not in a sexual way at all. My friends all consist of fighters, some human and many others not so much. I kinda know what I'm doing here."**_ She retorted, holding her ground. _'I'll be keeping the rest of the information to myself though. If it were just Son-kun's instincts, then our knowledge would be on the same level, but I DO know more about Saiyans than him.'_ She thought to herself.

The leader sighed. _**"There's no changing your mind, is there?"**_

" _ **Nope, but will you stay with me anyways until you can find or make a home to return to safely?"**_ Bulma asked them. The Namekians all thought hard before glancing between the blue-haired heiress and the prince of monsters twitching behind her leaning back against a tree before making their decision. They weren't going to let her leave with him or live with him alone until she got proper protection, specifically Son-kun coming back to Earth.

Seeing the other Namekians nodding in agreement the leader looked back to Bulma and replied. _**"We would be grateful to take up lodging in your residence if you'll have us."**_ He told her with a bow.

" _ **And I am more than happy to host you within my residence as well."**_ She bowed back to him before popping up with a large grin on her face. _**"Now I just have to get Vegeta to come with us and my father to bring the cargo plane to bring you all home with me without being seen. I hope you don't mind. The people here on this planet aren't use to 'aliens' as of yet."**_ The leader winced at the reminder of Vegeta but smiled at her in amusement at the fact that the other earthlings weren't use to aliens and yet here was an earthling woman willing to house hundreds of these so called 'aliens' with her as if it were no big deal.

" _ **We do not mind, I assure you."**_ He told her, holding one hand up not even having to look around to know that his people were nodding their heads in agreement.

" _ **Great! I'll call my father first since it may take a while for him to arrive and then I'll go convince Vegeta over there to join us."**_ She told them with a smile before feeling a tugging on her pant leg.

"Bulma, what were you saying?" Little Gohan asked her, looking up nervous. "I heard my name and Vegeta's more than once you know. Is everything all right?"

"Everything's fine sweetie," she told him, picking Gohan us and nuzzling the side of his face with her own and scratching him behind his ears to relax him. There was a lot of anger and confusion in that 'talk' so she could understand his nervousness. "I offered for the Namekians here to come live with me in the compound until they can get a home of their own. I switched to Namekian to make them more comfortable and forgot you guys wouldn't understand. I'm sorry if I startled you."

"It's fine," he drowsily replied, "just making sure nothing bad was going to happen." Bulma bit her lip a little at that, having not told him of her plans for Vegeta.

"Come on, let's go find you somewhere to nap while I call my father for a giant plane ride." She told the sleepy child while hiking him higher on her hips and continuing to scratch him behind the ears and moving over to the nape of his neck and occasionally running her hand down his back and spine. _'He's had a long day, we all have. It's good that he's getting some sleep before Chi-Chi comes.'_ She thought while looking for a good spot to place Gohan when she heard Dende calling her over.

" _ **Over here Bulma. I found a nice tree with some soft grass and I can watch over him if you'd like."**_ Dende told her, motioning and pointing with his hand towards where he wanted to take them.

" _ **Thanks Dende, that'd be nice."**_ She smiled at him, moving to follow the happy Namekian child. They walked over a bit to a nice shady tree with long grass underneath and soft dirt beneath it, the perfect place for a nap. Bulma placed Gohan down gently and had to pry his fingers off of her suit, all the while reassuring him with a few more scratches behind the ear and a few at the top of his hair line with her other hand before giving him a chaste kiss on the forehead as a promise of return.

" _ **I leave him in your hands Dende,"**_ she whispered to the little Namekian child before placing one of Gohan's hands in his. _**"If you need me, I'll be a little ways over there making a phone call."**_

Seeing Dende nod, she left the two boys to go over a few feet before pulling out one of her spare capsules she always kept sown into her clothes, especially seeing as how you never knew when they'd come in handy. She'd learned that the hard way more than once in her life and never planned to go through that again.

Bulma checked it's labeling before she clicked the top of it and tossed it high into the air. It puffed up into smoke mid fall before Bulma caught the now present, high tolerance to pressure, flip-phone that was about the size of half a banana. Checking her surroundings for wandering ears and looking into the branches above her, she flipped the phone open and rested against the available tree before speed dialing her father. He picked up on the fourth ring.

"Hello? Who is this? If you're selling I'm not buying anything."

"Why buy it when we could just make it ourselves after all." Bulma replied, giggling at her father's antics. With all the pressure of different companies wanting in on the Capsule Corps profits, they kept pushing at her and her father to share in the labors and to buy some of their products to work together on them. It didn't fool them the first time and they would never take the risk of outsiders gaining inside knowledge.

"Bulma, is that you?" the voice on the other side of the phone gasped.

"Yes Dad, it's Bulma. Who else other than Mom and me have your private number anyways? Calling to tell you we're all back on Earth now… or, almost all of us. You know how those fights go nowadays, you kill a few enemies and lose a few friends." Bulma humorlessly chuckled to her father, knowing he'd understand.

"What a shame. As your mother would say, 'they were such nice young men too'." Her father said in his horrible impersonation of his wife's high-pitched voice. Bulma chuckled at it, knowing that she must not be around or he'd be seeing the end of a wooden spoon to his head. "Well, what seems to be the problem? Why aren't you heading over yet? I know you keep an air bike on you and if all else fails you have other means of getting here." He cut to the chase immediately, their talk of the dead and her mother over.

"We're going to have some unexpected and unusual company over for a while. I already offered, they aren't here to rob us blind, and they are both well mannered and friendly. The Namekians are here from Namek with us and I offered them to live at the compound for a while. I may also have another unexpected guest, a Saiyan to be exact, if you don't mind. I have yet to ask him to stay, but right now I really need the cargo plane, not my bike to bring them all home. It's also highly doubtful that he would refuse my offer." She informed her father.

"Well, that's fine. Let me tell Chi-Chi and the rest and we'll be over in just a sec. You still have the tracker chip in your tooth I hope?" He asks his daughter, already knowing her answer.

"Never leaving home without it again." She tells him wryly.

"Then I'll see you soon." Dr. Briefs cut off the phone and Bulma closes hers as well once she heard the beep. She sighed while she capsulated the phone and put it in her jacket pocket for now. She looked up to come face first with a broken breastplate and immediately leaned back into the tree to get a look at who it was. Obviously not Gohan, that's for sure.

Her blue eyes met those of a deep and terrifying black. She gulped at the almost hidden and well-restrained rage she could see within their depths and kept quiet, waiting for Vegeta to make the first move.

"Woman, what nonsense are you spouting on about? Why in the universe would I ever come with you and your pathetic green house guests to live in some backwater planet's compound?" Vegeta spat at her, his ire and anger coming through. "And what were you telling the Namekians about me. Answer before I blow you into ash." He ordered her, taking a small step back, his arms folded over his chest waiting for his answer. He could smell her fear and nervousness and it made him feel even more powerful and distrustful of her. Bulma took in a deep breathe before speaking to the angry prince in front of her.

"I am not spouting nonsense. I told the Namekians that I was the best equipped in terms of housing a Saiyan due to my time with Son-kun and, being one of the richest on this planet, can easily house and feed all of you in my home. In fact, you wouldn't even have to see the Namekians if you did not wish while in my care." She told him. Seeing his anger returning once she mentioned care, she held up a hand in hopes of continuing on with her reasoning before he blew a gasket.

"My place is also the best for you due to your rivalry and wanting to kill Son-kun. Though I don't agree with it, being in my compound would give you immediate access to what is happening and knowledge of where and when the dragon will be in use and when we bring Son-kun back." Vegeta calmed slightly as he began processing the new information. The offer was tempting, he must say. But what would stop him from simply killing off everyone else on the planet and then holding the Namekian hostage and using the dragon balls for his own gains?

"Why would any of that apply to me?" He sneered at the woman with the blue hair. "If Kakarot stays dead then I am the strongest in the universe. What is to stop me from taking over this planet and forcing the use of the dragon balls another way? You? The Namekians? His weakling of a brat?" He scoffed at the woman, thinking she was so clever over him.

"Your word would. Your honor and your pride as a Saiyan to keep your word would stop you." She told the prince calm as ever as a shocked look crossed his face at those words. "I could provide you with much, from food to shelter to a ship and even new training equipment to help reach your goals. But in exchange I would need your word to not harm my family or any of the other less capable inhabitants on this earth. Nor the Namekians who I wish to stay with me until they can leave for their own home."

He heard her words, in his shocked frame of mind, and then noticed the flaw in her agreement. She had not included herself or the other fighters. They did not count as the 'less capable inhabitants' on this mud ball planet. His curiosity got the better of him instead of staying locked down and tied up in his mind. His mouth started to run off, wanting and needing his questions answered. "And you Woman? What protection is offered for you? Or your precious Z-fighters?" His voice got darker the longer he talked of the 'Z-fighters' knowing that Kakarot was one of them.

"Because," she stated in an almost obvious and innocent voice, tilting her head to the side, "It would be inevitable that you would hurt one of us at some point. Either in instinct, sparring, unconscious of the power you possess, or on purpose, you will eventually hurt us at some point. I know my friends and their habits and I know myself. At some point you are going to explode or snap and I'd rather you do so at us, the people who may be able to take some of that anger than at an unsuspecting by-standard who had no clue what had happened or what they may have accidently done to offend you. If you were barred from even that release, then I don't know what you'd do. All I can really depend upon here is your word if you were to give it and hope that we can bare the storm. Will you give it Vegeta?" She asked him.

He looked away, hoping to stop the feeling of her stare on his face. Would he give his word? It was one of the few things he had left to give. And no matter how he wished he could disregard the woman and go off on his own, her offer was the better deal. Even if it meant that he would have to give his word. He took in a subtle breath through his nose to get a scent of the woman, to see if she were being deceitful, if she were lying. He smelt no tension, so giveaways to a liar, and he smelt only the miniscule amount of fear that he so rightfully deserved, no more and no less. She was being truthful. And if that were the case, then her word had to have been as good as his. The deal was a complete win on his side. _'After all,'_ he thought _'I can still maim the so called Z-fighters for fun if they ever get on my nerves.'_

"I accept your offer woman." He told her blandly and began to walk away.

"That was not the word of the Prince of Vegetasei." Bulma reminded him, stopping the prince in his tracks. _'Damn that woman she's sharp'_ Vegeta mind ranted. "An acceptance was not your word, it would not hold nor affect your pride and honor if broken. I need your word Prince Vegeta or I cannot in good will give what I had promised for it. It would not be a fair bargain or trade. It is your word for my service." She reminded him despite her spike of nervousness. Cursing and damning the woman to hell the prince turned back towards the woman.

"I, Prince Vegeta of Vegetasei, do give my word to this woman to not harm any of the Namekians in her care, her blood family, or any of the other worthless beings on this mud ball of a planet. There, good enough?" He sneered at her.

"Perfect," she smiled up at him, her nerves receding and put her hands together only to get a low growl in return. "My father should be here soon with the plane to-"

"We know woman, we heard." Vegeta informed her, irritated at her incessant babbling. Would she ever shut up? And how did he get suckered into making an honor bound deal with such a pathetic and slow creature?

"How-" she began, curious at his answer and slightly bereft at his abrupt cutting off of her explanation, only to be cut off by the prince once again.

"We could all hear you woman. Your call to your sire was no private matter when every being in your presence could hear every word you said." He smirked at the foolish woman. Honestly, was she expecting a few feet to be enough distance to not be heard? "Except for Kakarot spawn. That brat's unconscious, prime for attack. Not to mention, free game, as per our _agreement_." Vegeta sneered in the children's direction and saw the tightening of the little Namekian's hand on Kakarot's spawns. A second later and the large Namekian fighter stood in front of them both, hands at the ready.

Vegeta leaned into a crouch and got ready to spring as the two warriors stood ready for battle. They would have fought, if it weren't for the voice of the blue-haired woman interrupting them.

"There is no honor in killing the off-spring of Son-kun's Vegeta. You should know that, especially if the other participant is both unconscious, unwilling to fight, and still but a pup. If he strikes first then I see no problem in the fight as discipline, but if unprovoked, it is a senseless violence with what is left of your people, no matter how disgusting he may seem to you." Bulma whispered to the prince, taking a step towards him and then placing herself in front of said person.

Vegeta heard the truth in her words and his gaze hardened. _'What's left of my people is a pitiful excuse for a Saiyan, Kakarot, and his mutt offspring. There is no 'my people' protections in place for those two who neither bow before me nor listen to my orders. What is this woman going on about? And what does she know of pups and whether or not that spawn had reached his yet?'_ Vegeta thought to himself, fighting what he knew to be right, and getting angry at the woman's interference in his affairs. _'How dare she tell me what I can and cannot do!'_

Vegeta snarled and pushed the blue-haired woman away with one hand. Hard. Bulma's body flew past Gohan and Piccolo only to find herself planted into a tree, a few ribs cracked by the force of the push. The Namekians immediately rushed to her aid under the angry glare of the Saiyan prince as he watched them start to pull her out of the tree.

' _Pathetic,'_ he thought to himself, then remembering her words just moments before she had made him an agreement. How she knew herself and her friends and that he would snap. He played right into her expectations and harmed her. His intent was a shove to the side and for her to hit the ground for her insolence, not the tree on the other side of the gathering.

Vegeta turned away and stalked up to the tree behind him before grabbing a branch and hoisting himself in the old fashioned way, intent on perhaps taking a nap while he wait for the woman's father. After all, her word did say that he could harm her and she would still have to keep her promise of her services. He climbed high into the tree and then closing his eyes and opening his senses, Vegeta fell into a highly light slumber.

While Piccolo stayed in place in front of Gohan, he urged Dende to attend to Bulma. Dende looked fearfully between Vegeta's spot in the tree, the sleeping Gohan, and the guarding Piccolo before making his decision to follow the older Namekian's orders to help the blue-haired heiress. He arrived to see the rest of his people placing her on the ground and out of the tree as she bled on the grass from the pieces that had pierced her when they attempted to dislodge her. There were murmurs around the group divided, between how they saw this coming and should have pushed harder for her to drop the idea of housing such a wild card of a Saiyan, with the others thinking from her point of view, how would this Saiyan react to the rest of her planet?

Dende pushed them aside as he reached out to Bulma, intent on healing her immediately; she was losing a lot of blood. As soon as he was done circulating her body with his Ki and healing her wounds, he relaxed and looked up into her smiling face.

"Thanks Dende that really helped. And no senzu bean necessary." She exclaimed joyfully. Not understanding her completely, Dende implored her as to what is and why a 'senzu bean' is so great?

" _ **Well, here on Earth, we have this bean called a senzu bean that can only be grown in a certain altitude and using special methods. Planted and nurtured by Master Korin, they are very hard to come by, but they can heal almost any and every life-threatening wound you could imagine to acquire. Much faster than our hospitals, which only treat the wounds superficially and then have your body heal naturally. No good if you're in a fight to the death after all."**_ She explained, making sure to speak in their native tongue so Vegeta wouldn't be able to understand. She didn't trust him to not go and raid Master Korin's stash of senzu beans. They picked up on her cue and decided that if they had something to say to her, they would speak in Namekian, also not trusting the Saiyan prince.

A brilliant thought hit Bulma like a lightning bolt. _**"Hey Dende, could you teach me how to heal with Ki? Please?"**_ she asked the little Namekian with a pair of puppy dog eyes. Dende went on the defensive. _**"Why do you want me to teach you that?"**_ he questioned, not wanting to lose one of his most favorite and unique abilities. Namekians were taught that if they wanted a skill, they had to find what suited them and learn the basics before finding a teacher to help them further it.

" _ **Because,"**_ Bulma smiled wistfully at him, _**"then maybe I could be of more help to my friends when they are sure to get injured. I'm always on the sidelines since I know I can't be of any help in battle, but I need to be of more help even when not in battle as well. I can't keep being such a liability."**_ She honestly told the young Namekian. Dende waged an internal battle between telling Bulma to figure out the basics of it and that if she could then he would help her from there, telling her no and risking her ire, or just starting out from the beginning helping her out.

" _ **Child, we Namekians do things differently."**_ The leader came up to them, making his way through his people to stand in front of the two. _**"If you wish to learn a skill, you must develop on your own in the beginning. Only when finding out your skill set and your style on your own can you become comfortable with what you learn. You cannot live off of salt water and forced learning into a skill with Ki not meant for you can be just that to your body, unhealthy and even deadly. I'm afraid my dear, that if you cannot find what you are inclined with, then Dende here cannot help you. We cannot risk you being of a different talent than what you wish to learn."**_

Bulma looked down at his explanation, feeling a bit guilty for what she had said to Dende. _'Oh Kami, I almost guilt tripped the kid into the lessons. Lessons that would have gone against what he had been taught and raised upon.'_

" _ **However Child, if you were to have an inclination toward healing or any other ability in which we could assist you, I think that me and my people would help you in such an endeavor."**_ The leader smiled kindly down at her.

Feeling thankful for this chance, Bulma thanked the leader and his people before they heard a whirring noise in the air, catching all the attention but one asleep Gohan's. They all looked towards the sky and to Bulma's left, Vegeta's right, to find themselves looking at a giant yellow carrying craft of some sort.

They waited patiently for its arrival and watched as it docked in the middle of the clearing. All was peaceful until the craft opened up, revealing one 'angry as a grizzly bear mama' Chi-Chi looking for her son.

"WHERE IS HE? GOHAN WEHRE ARE YOU?" Chi-Chi screamed while looking around frantically for her little boy, waking up said boy beneath a shady tree and causing him to squeak in a sense of fear, and rightfully so. He had forgotten to do his homework. No battle with Freiza could compare to the wrath of Chi-Chi.

…

"How did your sire find us?" Vegeta demanded Bulma once all of the Namekians, humans, and half-breeds were loaded onto the cargo vessel waiting for the last few of its passengers. Bulma was still outside of the ship, making sure that everyone had been picked up and that no one was left behind.

She glanced back at the Saiyan glowering behind her before turning around and resuming her look about for any stragglers.

"WOMAN, I know you heard me and I demand an answer." The prince of all Saiyans growled out. He expected her to fear, knowing he could easily harm her and within their bargain as well. He sniffed the air, to get a scent off of her, to smell the fear he was sure that she felt. Taking in a deep breath, his mind couldn't believe what he smelled. She was indifferent to him. There was an undertone of apprehension, but she did not stink of fear. Bulma turned around and confirmed what his nose had told him, her eyes unwavering and her face straight. He scowled at the woman.

"I'll tell you if you can sense out if there is any one missing. I don't want to leave anyone behind." She bargained with the Saiyan, not telling him that she could also sense Ki, it was just a little hard to pinpoint someone if she hadn't felt his or her Ki before. Her Ki sensing worked more like a library than like a sensor. If she had felt a Ki before _and_ logged it into her mind, she could feel and sense them so long as they were in the solar system, she reckoned. After all, she stopped being able to sense Chi-Chi's Ki once she left her solar system and deemed that her limit. His scowl just deepened.

"I am a Prince. I do not have to listen to your demands. But YOU woman have to answer mine." Vegeta growled back at the woman. How dare she make demands of HIM, the Prince of all Saiyans. Bulma just sighed at his antics shaking her head, making the prince even more furious with her actions. She turned to face him once again.

"I understand that you are a prince, Vegeta. However, you are not my prince. This is Earth, not Vegetasei. You yourself had made it clear of your distaste for humans, something with which I share, but I am under no obligation to treat you any differently than any other alien I encounter due to your treatment of me. I plan to treat you as a guest, Vegeta, not a prince, for on this planet, your position doesn't hold the value that it once did." She told the fuming prince. Holding her ground she continued. "However, if you find yourself acting respectful towards me, the respect shall be reciprocated. The Namekians treat me well, and so I treat them well in return. If someone were to endanger my family, I would take them and their family out of the equation for good. I treat others as they treat me. Your treatment is all up to you." She finished. Seeing that everyone, except for the two of them, were on board the cargo plane, she started to make her return towards the ship.

"Oh, and you should know how my father found me. You heard how when we were talking on the phone." She told the angry prince, making his anger turn into puzzlement at her words.

"What do you mean woman. I wouldn't have asked if I had already known. You never told him of the coordinates." He grumbled at her, his eyes following her form, as she got closer to the plane.

"Just think of the words, Vegeta. What did we say? If you like, you can either hop in the plane or fly beside it to the compound Vegeta, your choice." She told him, holding onto the side of the plane's open door as she looked at him questioningly.

"I'll fly." He told her, still going over the phone conversation in his head, trying to find his answer.

"Suit yourself," and then she closed the door behind her, the plane taking off with the contemplating Saiyan right beside it.

' _What did that woman mean? She never told her sire the coordinates. Think, Vegeta, you are the prince of all Saiyans. When did she tell her sire of her location.'_ He thought and replayed the conversation in his head, but there really wasn't any talk of coordinates. What did they say before the woman had hung up the phone?

' _Her sire asked if she still had a tracker chip in her tooth and she responded that she never left home without it. How could I be so deaf? She had a tracker on her person!'_ The Saiyan prince finally got his answer, feeling foolish that he hadn't gotten it sooner. _'But why does she have one? And why did she seem to hold humans at low regard if she had made me promise their safety?'_ He contemplated on their last discussions and her pushing him into promising the safety of the people on her planet.

' _It doesn't matter, so long as she can keep her end of the bargain, her life holds little meaning. However, if she were lying to me on her side of the deal, I shall kill her and the rest of her people without hesitation.'_

…

 **So, what do you think? Too OOC or is this all right? I do have reasons for Bulma's ire towards the human race and it does have to do with her position. I kinda feel that her life should not be extremely sheltered, as being an heiress of such a large and rising company should have made her a prime target for attacks. This shall be explained in later chapters.**

 **FYI, the nuzzling she did with Gohan has a reason and an explanation.**

 **I hope you enjoyed this, and please review so that I know what to do better for the next chapter. Even critique on the writing style is helpful.**

 **PS all flamers welcome. I laugh when you don't read a story and make bad remarks on reviews. After all, if you don't like then you don't read, duh.**

 **Otherwise, please review. Thanks XD**


	2. Chapter 2: Enter the Compound

Not What They Expected

Chapter 2

…

 **AN: wow, this story is so unpopular. I'm kinda surprised. Well, thanks for all of those who took an interest in this story. Please tell me how you think I should improve it or if there're scenes you may want to see happen. Depending on the request I may use it in the story. Constructional criticism is always welcome. Read and Review please and I'm sorry for such a late update, I've been writing this chapter for a few weeks now**

…

"Human Speech"

' _Thoughts'_

" _ **Namekian"**_

" **Saiya-go"**

…

Enter the Compound

…

As the plane flew over the city, Vegeta used this time to take in his surroundings. Making sure that he kept a lock on the Ki signatures to his left and flying on autopilot, he looked over the area he was apparently going to take residence in. All the high-rise buildings, the large amounts of people packed into such a small amounts of space, the ever-flowing traffic both on the ground streets and in the few feet of air their hovercrafts travel. It _almost_ reminded him of the many more technologically developed worlds that he'd destroyed under Freiza, though this city might as well have been a tribe of barbarians compared to the other cities he'd seen while in space under Freiza's rule.

Looking away from the _humans_ underneath him, Vegeta continued to follow the plane as it passed over most of the city. _'That woman had better not lied to me. Where does she live, the slums and backwaters? Aren't the rich suppose to live in the center of the people?'_ he thought as they travelled towards the outskirts of the city, where the buildings became lower and the people fewer. _'Has the woman lied to me about her wealth?'_ he growled to himself, knowing that if that were the case then the woman and everyone else on this mud ball of a planet wouldn't be around for very much longer.

The plane slowed down as they started to reach the cities edges; nearing a giant domed building surrounded by posts in a circular shape many acres across and away from the building itself. The dome building was large, as large as Freiza's main ship if not larger and the area surrounding it that of an unpopulated and quite cleared of other life forms semi-forest, with there being trees but a lot of fields or plains as well.

Getting closer to the area Vegeta could feel a vibration in the air as they approached the area; only to feel it disappear as the group started to come into close proximity to whatever it was. The Woman landed the ship near what Vegeta assumed was the back of the dome shaped building for it faced away from the other life forms swarming the poor excuse for a technological city. Vegeta promptly landed next to the ship as the Woman had opened the latch and started to usher the Namekians towards the building. Upon landing, the vibrations came back and put Vegeta on guard, not sure what they were.

"Alright, so if everyone could just follow me inside I'd like to show everyone into the house and get you comfortable before assigning rooms. And if you'd like I can give a tour of the building tomorrow or something." The Woman told the group standing around behind her while scratching the back of her head. "Chichi, you and Gohan may as well spend the night, we've got plenty of room and I wouldn't really trust either of you to fly home after such a long day, whether it be Gohan carrying you or you flying a car." Bulma smirked at the two, knowing how they'd react.

Chichi started to babble about being able to handle herself and Gohan started sputtering about it being nothing, but Bulma wouldn't take any of that as an answer. "Besides, we've got to talk about Gohan's studies later. You know, _those studies_." Bulma hinted to her friend. Hearing the words Gohan and Studies in the same sentence Chichi zeroed in on the heiress and nodded her head.

"Alright, now that that's settled-"

"Woman, you will see to me now towards the training facilities." Vegeta cut in from behind her, getting sick of all this talk and not enough action. He'd only come because of her promise and nothing was to get in the way of the power he intended to gain from it.

"Vegeta, my guests come first. A promise is a promise and so if you wish to get to the training facilities without my help then you may ask my father. However I should warn you that if you do not treat him with respect then you will be getting no help out of him." She replied to the infuriated Saiyan behind her. "If that happens and you lose your temper and harm him, then you will be getting no help period as per our agreement. And I should warn you, not getting our help will diminish the amount of power you'd be able to obtain."

"How could you hold power over me? I can train anywhere and get the same results on this backwater planet. Everything is the same here. The only thing you truly have to offer is food that I can gain anywhere hunting." Vegeta haughtily replied. Bulma smirked.

"Because no one else on this planet has a fully functioning gravity chamber. You know, the one Goku used to become so powerful on his way to Namek," she cheekily told the Saiyan Prince. He flushed with anger as she continued to talk, "Now if you'll excuse me, I've some guests to attend to and then if you do not receive help from my father then I shall help you afterwards, but until then you may as well just follow us since I doubt that my father would help you either way. You did after all throw me into a tree breaking a few ribs of mine earlier and don't think he didn't hear about it from the Namekians."

"Woman you _will_ show me to the training facilities this instant!" raged the prince, getting closer to the heiress. "My word will not protect you and you will show me to the training areas or the agreement is null and void. Now show me!" Vegeta lashed a hand out and harshly gripped the heiress's upper arm in a steel hold.

"Wha- ouch hey, let go" Bulma struggled in his grasp. "I said I'd show you once I got my guests settled and that includes you, so let go"

She continued to struggle, his grip only getting tighter and tighter. The rest of the group watched on, not sure if they should step in or not. Heck, they didn't even know how to truly step in and help at all, worried of enraging the irate Prince further.

Eventually the grip got too tight and Bulma cried out in pain. Vegeta released her as if burned by the sound and took a step back. They looked at one another, Bulma cradling her upper arm in her hand close to herself confused and Vegeta in shock, the tears in the woman's eyes bringing a strange pain in his stomach. _'What is this feeling? I don't like it.'_ Vegeta thought, turning away towards the dome like building.

"Well, what are you waiting for, an invitation into your own home? Move woman" Vegeta growled out with raised hackles at the still prone form of the blue haired heiress and her group of Namekians, humans, and a single half-breed Saiyan child before turning away from them all. Bulma composed herself, subtly wiping her watery eyes before facing the rest of the group.

"Well, I guess that's our cue, come on in." She smiled at the Namekians and old family friends. She started to turn away only to have her suit tugged on from behind. She turned to see Dende behind her, his claw grabbing the bottom of the suit. "What's wrong Dende?" she asked the Namekian child. He looked down in embarrassment.

" _ **If you'd like, I could heal your arm for you?"**_ He questioned himself, a light blush coating his face. Bulma smiled softly at the embarrassed child before squatting to his height. _**"Could you? That would be very kind of you Dende."**_ She told the child, rubbing his head with her uninjured arm's hand between the antennae. His blush got darker at her smile and even more so when she started to rub his head. He just nodded, too embarrassed to verbally answer her. Bulma smiled brighter at the child before pulling up the sleeve on her arm, the Namekian child not noticing her actions due to looking at the floor.

A 'tch' from above caught his attention however, when he saw the finger marks around the blue haired woman's arm. Bulma could be seen scowling at the deep purple-ish black marks before looking back at Dende. _**"Oh, wipe that sad look off your face. It's not that bad. Humans just tend to bruise bad, it's not like anything's broken. And besides, you said you'd help so it'll only hurt for a little longer, okay?"**_ Bulma tried to calm the downtrodden Namekian child, patting his head again while giving him another smile. Dende shyly smiled back, his reaction getting a few chuckles from the other Namekians while some looked fearfully at the Saiyan Prince.

Not knowing why it was taking the woman so long to bring everyone into her home Vegeta turned around only to scoff at the display of a blushing Namekian child. _'What are they doing? I told them to move, not take root in the yard. Though I didn't expect the woman to be good with non-human young.'_ Vegeta started to move in closer to the group, ignoring the hostile looks he received from many of the Namekians and his errant thought on the woman, only to stop in his tracks at seeing the marks on the woman's arm. _'That looks bad. It's not my fault though that she got hurt. She should have been paying attention to me first. Her promise to me comes first.'_ He thought to himself, not really noticing the way that he had thought of the woman, explaining it as her duty to tend to him as per their agreement in his mind rather than anything else.

His approach had caused a stir, making Bulma look back and meet the Prince's eyes. Vegeta internally winced seeing her distrustful and fearful eyes, something that he'd rightfully earned before throwing whatever those feelings were that had made him wince into the depths of his darkness where he thought they belonged.

"Woman, I told you to move and I expect you to move." He said arrogantly, stalking closer to the heiress, stopping when he saw her flinch away at his approach. He wasn't concerned for her, that wasn't the reason he stopped, he told himself. _'After all, I wouldn't get much out of her if she'd be too scared to do anything.'_

"I'll move in just a bit Prince. Could you wait for a moment," She asked nervously. Looking up into his eyes, she could see the surprise in him that she'd called him prince. His ego momentarily stroked from her admitting his position, at least in his mind, he nodded before backing off, giving Dende the perfect opportunity to heal the blue haired heiress.

"Thanks Dende," she smiled at the child rubbing his head before pulling down her sleeve addressing the entire group, including her father, Chichi, Gohan, the other Namekians, and the Prince of all Saiyans, Vegeta, "now, if you could all follow me, I'd like to take us inside away from prying eyes, get some food, and then maybe see where you'd all like to sleep and settle you into the compound." She told them all before going into specifics. "Dad, could you tell Mom to make two Saiyan's worth of food, no funny business though. Gohan, Chichi, you two can either stay with the Namekians until things settle down or really do whatever you want, so long as you stay safe…don't look at me like that, you know what I mean." Bulma said waggling her finger at them, reminding them of the last time they wandered around the compound. They had the decency to look down and blush, making the rest of the group minus her father wonder what they were talking about.

"Alright dear, just don't be long. Maybe you should take them to the garden? It's relaxing there and some of your guests could probably use it." Her father told her, hugging her with one arm before walking off to find his wife.

"Sounds like a plan, I'll meet you there?" She questioned her father, hoping he would meet with them later.

"Of course. Have to set some ground rules don't I? It's my home too you know." He waved to his daughter without turning around walking to the other side of the compound, knowing his wife was most likely in the front area of the building. Bulma sighed with a small smile on her face turning back to the group, the smile leaving once her eyes settled on the Prince of all Saiyans. Vegeta felt a bit affronted with her looking at him, with what he thought her eyes were saying, as if he were the worst thing to happen to her, which of course, he thought he was.

"Well, the inner garden's this way," She led the group towards a large frame of different colored metal before astonishing most of them with what she did next. She pointed her finger up and charged it with Ki before placing it on a small, almost pinhole like, blue circle in the middle of the metal, causing a large array of glowing blue lines to appear and spread out before the metal made an 'fsh' sound and moved to the side. Bulma turned around to meet the surprised looks on her guest's faces. She burst into a fit of giggles.

"Just because I don't have a lot of Ki doesn't mean that I can't use it. I just don't have enough to be flying around the way you guys do or make big flashy attacks. You think I could have been with the Z-gang for so many years and _not_ picked up a few tricks? My only problem was that the only teachers I could get all have too much Ki to use it the way I need to learn it and self-teaching was both dangerous and extremely hard to do. That's why I asked you for help, I don't have the teachers or resources that I need to help get me to where I can actually help my friends." she explained to the group, a rueful smile on her face before turning and heading through the threshold. "Besides," she continued, "a house key can be stolen, but a Ki signature can't. I'll program your Ki in as soon as everyone's settled. A lot of things in my part of the compound rely on Ki, the little I've been able to figure out about it anyways." She flippantly told the group while continuing on her journey to the gardens.

Everyone followed the blue haired heiress into her home, making sure to keep close as to not get lost. Once inside, the home seemed to be a warm haven, cozy despite the size of the areas. Sure there was metal almost everywhere, but there were also plants in many places, even though they had yet to reach the garden. The wood underneath their feet was a rich, inviting brown and the walls, though lined with metal, also had art engraved into and along them, making them more individualized and warm.

It seemed that all the guests had something to think about with the discovery that Bulma could use Ki. The Namekians saw it as a way to repay the blue haired heiress sooner and become the teacher that she needed while Vegeta had mixed feelings about her. She had just gone from harmless human to annoying human who couldn't even learn on her own the way he had. Sure, it was a miracle that she had Ki since it was normally only seen in the strongest of fighters, she was a female, and a female scientist on top of that, but for her to waste what little she had on a door rather than on being able to do something more useful made Vegeta scowl. He had grown up that Ki was to be used in battle, to aid you in a fight and that underhanded tactics were not the Saiyan way. Special Ki abilities like healing or stopping time were allowable, for both aided in battle and were for the purpose of fighting more. And so to see Ki used in order to lock a door made the Price scowl at the application, seeing it as deprecating to the way that Ki, in his opinion and cultural background, should be used. Ki was for battle, not for idle usage like the way the blue haired woman had. Flying was fine, for it fine tuned one's usage of Ki and was used in battle, so flying outside of battle was okay since it made it easier to use while in battle in the future. The way he saw it, this blue haired woman was stepping all over his ideals on Ki. Vegeta growled low in the blue haired woman's direction.

"Well, the garden's this way, just passed these doors here. I'm afraid that most doors here are Ki activated and even if not, the only way to get in is through alternate means. This is my part of the compound after all. I'll have to program you all in ASAP. My parents use the alternate ways to get in, what with them not having the same amount of Ki or ability to use it; they have a couple different things they have to do to get in. Voice recognition and eye scan being one of the ways in." Bulma told the group.

"Piccolo, Gohan, and Chichi here are already in the system as well as the other Z-fighters. Could you three show them to the garden, you know the large inner one, while I go grab my equipment?" She asked the three, getting a head nod from them. Bulma nodded back, watching the group follow the three away, and was going to turn away from them, but ran into someone instead.

"Where do you think you're going woman?" Vegeta glared down at the heiress, having moved to block her path. The group about to leave tensed up, seeing the blue haired heiress so close to Vegeta again and stayed within reach just in case.

She scowled up at the Prince and backed up, only to have him continue to invade her space, only a breath away from her. "I'm getting my equipment to program you all into the system. It's in my lab though, so I have to go grab it. At least it's mobile enough." She mumbled the last part, still backing up from the Prince. "Could you lay off Vegeta, you're a bit close don't-cha think?" She raised an eyebrow at the Prince, raising her hands to block his continued invasion of her space. Vegeta just snorted and continued his advance pushing her hands with her.

"And how do I know you aren't going to go back on your word? You have yet to show me the training equipment or proof of its existence." He pointed out to her, causing the heiress to scowl once again and furrow her brows. _'How Dare he think I would go back on my word!'_ Bulma screamed in her mind, his accusations and continued insistence for the training room grating on her. It hadn't even been a day, heck they hadn't even been in the compound ten minutes and he was already demanding things of her, impossible at the moment things at that.

"And how do you expect me to show you the training equipment if you don't even have a place to go to afterwards. You need a place to sleep, to know where to go to if injured, and to have access to the food in the house. The agreement wasn't just training equipment, but also shelter and food. To even get those things I'd need to put you in the system. Heck the ship itself also has a Ki door and to use anything in it you'd need to be in the system as well. This is my home and I don't tend to leave it unprotected from the other inhabitants on this planet. So tell me dear Prince, how are you going to train if you can't even enter the training room or leave the atmosphere?" She snapped at the Prince, reaching a point in her frustration, not holding her words back and leaning in to face him, nose to nose. "Well, tell me oh mighty Prince Vegeta, how do you enter a room you have no access to? And if you dare say blow a hole in the wall and enter through there, then let me be the first to tell you, if there are any breaches in the area, the systems won't even start up for the intruder and my home goes into combat mode against anyone who it deems a threat, those not in the system or given any special clearance. I don't tolerate intruders in my home." She growled out aggressively, moving around the Prince before looking back at him, still stunned in place from her reprimand. She sighed at seeing that everyone was still in the room. She turned to face the Prince one again.

"Look Vegeta, if you'd like you can follow me to the lab and see that I'm not going back on my word, but I'd rather have you relax in the garden until everything can be settled since that's also the place my mother was going to bring the food first and I'm sure you must be hungry by now. But if you're really that distrustful of my word then come on." She ground out, holding out her hand to the Prince. He snarled and smacked her hand away, causing Bulma to wince at the move, knowing that she'd just earned another bruise for her actions before having the Prince once again invading her personal space. Bulma sighed turning to look at Gohan and the rest of the group. "Can you guys go on ahead to the garden? I'll meet you there with the equipment." She told more than asked before heading off with the Prince who made sure to always stay close behind her.

' _How am I going to survive until you're brought back Son-kun?'_ She questioned herself. _'I almost don't care even if he_ is _a Saiyan, this is ridiculous.'_ She grumbled to herself, heading off into her part of the compound, the Saiyan Prince in tow. _'God help me…'_

…

The two passed through many doors, each one having to be opened by the blue haired woman in order for them to get through. It wasn't that the compound was a maze; it was just that to get into the lab or restricted areas, there was a need for a door. Otherwise, each hallway was lined with doors, each one having its purpose or use and not all of them had that lingering trace that the Ki doors had. But once the two of them entered the more private areas of the compound, the Ki doors drastically increased. _'The hell, the woman's paranoid.'_ Thought the Prince _'though I guess that's not a bad thing, to be prepared. Though her use of Ki is still wasteful.'_ He concluded to himself.

Finally the two reached the final door before entering the lab, this one taking an eye scan as well in order to enter, making Vegeta raise an eyebrow. _'Maybe she is too paranoid, but why? What could cause this in such a carefree woman who would go off to Namek without even being able to defend herself?'_ He stopped thinking on it to hard when hearing the telltale sound of another released door.

Once the door slid aside, he could see a reason for the extra precaution on this room's door. The room was littered with gears, gadgets, and blue papers with detailed drawings, computers with high scale monitors, etc. There was no place in the room untouched by some sort of invention of the heiress's, there being a wall filled with rolled up papers and the adjacent wall to that one being filled with equipment and materials meant for building. There were multiple tables and each one had its purpose. Vegeta broke out of his stupor, noticing the lack of blue that was meant to be in front of him. He scanned around with his eyes, not catching sight of the woman before growling and reaching around with his Ki sensing and sniffing the air to catch a whiff of the woman before realizing that he'd never registered her smell and that it was also all over the room. Without it being registered before hand or found he'd never be able to pick up a trail in a room already covered in her scent. The Prince grumbled at himself for not having the foresight to register her scent earlier.

A noise caught his attention to the right, motivating the Prince to go in that direction; sure that it was the woman. He moved to the right along the wall before seeing that there was a turn or an edge in the room, making it more plausible that the woman would have been able to remove herself from his sight by simply going where his eyes didn't reach. Continuing on his way with the noises of moving metal and scraping sounds the Prince came upon the sight of the woman moving around many boxes, opening them up before scowling at their contents and pushing them aside reaching for another.

The Saiyan Prince stalked up behind her, determined to gather her scent to avoid this type of hassle again. He pushed himself close to her, the distance only a breath between them. Bulma could sense the Prince behind her and thought nothing of it, continuing her search. That was before he grabbed her, pushing his hand over her mouth and holding her still with his other arm, casually tilting her neck to one side. The heiress screeched against his hand, charging up her pitiful amount of Ki and pushing it into her struggling limbs, hoping to catch him off guard. She thrashed in his arms, her teeth trying to dig themselves into his hand to no avail. Her Ki fluctuated wildly, pushing into her body, enhancing her movements, and making the Prince frustrated with her attempts at escape. That changed when Vegeta charged his own Ki slightly, becoming a truly immovable iron prison around the heiress. Really it was pitiful to Vegeta; all he needed was that little bit of power to stop her completely. She screeched harder as the Saiyan Prince leaned in towards her neck, his nose skimming along her pulse point as he breathed in before moving higher to the pulse under her chin and then up to behind her ear, where her smell was sure to be the most pure and strong. Bulma on the other hand tried her best to get out of his grip, not trusting his intentions and hating the feeling of helplessness that his hold put her in, the things that it had reminded her of.

Her natural scent was intriguing to the Prince, not like the scents that lingered all along her body. She had the lingering scents of the Namekians, of the half-Saiyan brat, some of the Z-fighters like that baldy, that father of hers and a sweeter smell, most likely her mother, and of Kakarot. Though she had their scent on her she had them all on the outside, none had touched deeper. Meaning that she was untouched or stained in another's scent on a deeper level, for some reason calming the irate Saiyan Prince. There had been the underlying smell of the metals and machines in tandem to the more outdoors smells normally found along a mountainside. But her scent, the one not touched by the others was interesting. It was almost Saiyan like, but with an underlying sweetness to it, like warm milk and honey or a deep forest but with a field of honeysuckle. She just had a hint of sweet on her skin.

The smell of fear he had been getting off of the woman, the panic and terror lessoned, as all he did was inhale her scent and commit it to memory. After a few moments the scent shifted in the woman, changed from terror to something angrier, more hateful. The woman stopped thrashing as she had and started to simply shake in rage, her scent matching her emotions. Vegeta refused to pull back though, curious as to what this tiny woman in his arms would do with such an emotion rushing through her. He'd regret that decision.

Bulma, having her terror calmed and rage spiking, wanted to lash out at that stupid Saiyan Prince. If he wanted to scent her, he should have just asked, not scare the wits out of her! Resolved to get that arrogant and pompous jerk back, she put her Ki into her hands, specifically her fingers, creating a set of false claws. With one hand, she dug her claws into the Prince's arm, deep, the other going towards his other arm. The sudden jolt of pain surprised the Prince, but also angered him. He'd promised to never have to deal with such pain unless on his terms after his time with Freiza. To have such a whelp of a woman injure him angered the Saiyan Prince to the point of losing his control, his Ki bursting out and slightly burning the heiress. The hand over her mouth moved to her hair, pulling it harshly to the side before lifting her off the ground by it.

The harsh treatment caused the heiress to whimper in pain, her Ki fluctuating for a moment before the claws disappeared completely as she reached up to try to get the Saiyan's fingers out of her hair, her feet just dangling and twitching below her.

"You insolent creature! How Dare you attack me!" Vegeta roared, shaking the woman more and rattling her bones. Bulma continued to whimper, trying her hardest to get the Prince to let go.

"What, no smart remarks this time? No 'you can't do anything without me'? Huh? You want me to let go?" He taunted the woman in his grasp. Bulma sparked her Ki, just a little bit into her hand, but with Vegeta now putting out more Ki from the attack, she had no way of cutting into the Prince's harder skin. Vegeta smirked at her; knowing as well as she did that she couldn't harm him.

Bulma's hand, sparked with Ki, made a small knife on the side of her hand. Seeing the 'knife' Vegeta's smirk enlarged before she made her next move. She ran her hand through the hair that the Prince had been holding, causing the heiress to fall to the floor, leaving the blue tresses in the Prince's hand. The Prince just stared at the hair, not knowing what to do next, unsure. Bulma was not the same matter.

The moment she had caught her breath she raised her head and swiveled her gaze around until it landed on a space on the wall a few feet from her position. She dashed towards it while the Prince was in his daze, the only thing bringing him out of it her sudden burst of Ki that caused him to go defensive, opening his hands and releasing her hair to the floor, as she ran into and through the wall in front of them. He blinked, then blinked again as he came to terms that the woman had indeed gone into the wall in front of him. He could sense her Ki through it and her scent was fresh in that direction. _'What the hell was that?'_

"Woman, come out this instant," he demanded of the heiress, feeling slightly foolish to be yelling at a wall.

"NO," came the immediate reply echoing through the wall startling and angering the Prince. _'That woman, speaking to me, to a Prince, Saiyan royalty, in such a way! I will not stand for this!'_

"Woman, you will come out immediately!" Demanded Vegeta, not really realizing why she was hiding from him. Sure he had held her, but that was just to get a scent, it wasn't him who started the attack, she did the moment she had hurt him. Vegeta felt completely justified with his action, as he saw no wrong in what he had done. He'd just been trying to get a scent.

"NO," she replied again, "You don't ask to scent me before doing it, you invade my space without even being a part of my family, you threaten at every chance and can't even wait a single HOUR to get what you want. At the first sign of things not going your way you get physical. Why should I come out?" She demanded of the Prince of all Saiyans.

Vegeta paused in his anger, picking up on two things. One, she knew he was scenting her and two, the invasion of space. How would this woman know that he was just trying to get her scent? And what does she mean by space invasion? Hadn't he been keeping his space, not touching her?

"Woman, how do you know I was scenting you?" He questioned her "I could have simply been trying to scare you or go in for the kill. What do you know?" He demanded.

"HAH," she bellowed out, breaking into an insane chuckle, "who do you think it was that took care of Son-kun when he was younger? My family and me took him in. Who helped him when he wasn't sure what was going on with himself? I did. Who got his wife up to speed with Son-kun's ways? ME of course. I may not be a Saiyan, but I've been with Son-kun enough to know a few of your traits and scenting is one of them. So is the close contact, the invasion of space. Son-kun never got that close to anyone he didn't consider family and you sir were invading my space." She confidently said through the wall to the Saiyan Prince.

"Don't you _dare_ compare me to that third-class moron" Bellowed the Prince, "and get out of that wall!" He still felt ridiculous screaming at a wall and wanted it fixed _immediately._

"Can you guarantee my safety?" she remarked "My life? Can you guarantee that you won't kill me?" It was silent at that. "Then I'm not sure if I'll come out…" she sang out to the Saiyan. He growled at that.

"Woman, you will come out or I will destroy this compound with everyone inside" he snarled to the wall containing the woman. A horrified gasp rang out. "I have not received any training equipment and so your agreement has not truly taken charge yet. Neither have you fed or housed me so far. So you have until I count till three before I burn this building down" the Prince told the wall while charging up his Ki.

"One, Tw-"

"WAIT" a small flare of Ki later and the woman was found exiting the wall, her hands on her knees in exhaustion from using so much Ki so soon. Vegeta reached out and grasped her arm, bringing her up.

"If you ever try to attempt to harm me again, I will burn this compound to the ground. And don't think that you know anything about Saiyans you filthy human." He growled in the heiress's face before throwing her back towards the boxes she was looking through earlier. "Get the equipment, I'm getting in your system and you _will_ show me towards the training facilities immediately."

Bulma, terrified of the Prince now more than ever, went back to her previous task of opening the boxes and looking for her equipment. Vegeta stood off to the side, steaming in his rage and emotions, going over the things said. This woman had said she'd known about Saiyans from that third-class moron's actions. As if a mere human could ever understand a Saiyan. And to ask that he guarantee her life when she herself had made the agreement not to include her own safety was simply ridiculous. She should have included herself from the very beginning if she were simply going to try to get out of her word later. The worst part though was that she'd compared him to that third-class buffoon and deemed herself knowledgeable about Saiyans when she herself were a mere human. _That_ was intolerable to the Saiyan Prince who saw himself as the last _true_ Saiyan, as the only ones who could even consider themselves as such were only Saiyan in blood, not even in action. They had none of the culture of the Saiyan Empire in their lives, none of the history, memories, or knowledge on what it had meant to be a Saiyan. It grated on the Princes nerves even more to think of that third-class fool as Kakarot had become the ultimate before even the Prince of all Saiyans had.

A pause in noise from the woman's direction caused the Prince to look over towards her, seeing her hold up some sort of device that just looked like a strange tube and needle attachment. The tube was made of metal, with both ends covered with some sort of chord attached to the back of a needle used to administer drugs. He snorted, not sure what to make of it as the woman continued to examine it.

"Is that it woman?" he groused out, bringing the woman from her focus and having her terrified gaze reach him before she simply nodded. Why was her fear making his stomach clench? Isn't this better, that the woman fear and listen without question? A bright spot of color caught his eyes as his gaze fell on the blue tresses on the floor, as did the woman's gaze. Her eyes lit with sadness at the sight making Vegeta's gut clench once more. Not liking the feeling Vegeta snarled at the woman.

"Well then, come on woman, get up and get going. I don't have all day." Bulma rushed up to her feet and started rushing forward, clutching the device to her chest. Vegeta followed close behind, keeping the woman only a hand's length away not realizing that this was the invasion of space that Bulma had been talking about. To the Prince, this was simply a way to keep the woman close enough to both follow and keep in his sights so that she couldn't dare escape into the walls as she had earlier, though he didn't know that it was only in certain areas of the compound that little niches had been made for hiding.

On shaking legs, Bulma continued to use her Ki to open doors and rushed to the garden with the Saiyan Prince behind her every step of the way. All of this Ki usage had started to show as Bulma's steps continued to get slower and slower, sloppier and tipsier with every door they passed through. Finally there was only one door left, the one to the garden and then she would be done. _'Just one more, then I can rest.'_ She kept telling herself. _'He'll be too focused on the food. Oh I hope mom finished making the food.'_ She prayed that at least the food would be done.

Bulma opened the last door and stumbled into the room gaining only a few of the occupant's attention as the rest were intrigued with whatever Bulma's father had been telling them with the occasional input from Gohan when he wasn't stuffing his face with food. At least the sight of Gohan getting his fill had assured Bulma that yes, the food was done.

The presence behind her had growled and come closer to the heiress causing her to flinch. "Woman, put me in the system this instant." He demanded the heiress.

"Wouldn't you like to eat first?" she half pleaded and asked of the Prince. Vegeta, having heard the option of food, sniffed the air before catching a tantalizing smell. _'Most likely the food the woman was talking about.'_ Vegeta's mouth watered at the smells, grunting in approval to the woman before heading off to the place of the aroma.

Having the Prince leave her presence, Bulma staggered over to her favorite tree, the great big willow tree next to the stream, before promptly falling at its base as her knees gave out. She rested herself against the trunk; contemplating the mess she'd put herself in, the dangers of having the Prince of all Saiyans, Vegeta live with her family. _'Oh god, I'm housing a deranged Saiyan.'_ Was one thought going through her head, both making her question her knowledge on Saiyans and filling her with dread while the other was that at least she knew something of Saiyans as opposed to the rest of the planet. _'After all, he'd likely just blow up anyone who got in his way if he weren't under that stupid agreement.'_ She groused.

With a drained Ki from the day's events, Bulma dozed off, not realizing how tired she really was until she'd passed out.

…

' _Where is that smell coming from?'_ Vegeta continued to follow his nose to that enticing aroma. He ignored the groups of Namekians in favor of finding the food that was sure to be amazing. Another sniff into the air set his stomach rumbling and cramping in hunger. Going through the foliage and around the bushes Vegeta faced a banquet, tables filled with strange concoctions that all smelled simply enticing to his nose. _'Is this the human food?'_ he questioned, not entirely sure what it was that humans ate to be honest. On Freiza's ship, he'd had to live off of tasteless and horrid capsules that Freiza had had his scientists create, a food supplement that never truly filled the Saiyan Prince nor supplied him with all his necessary nutrients. Most likely done on purpose to keep the Saiyan Prince weak in hopes of his death. That's why even though purging missions were miserable, they became bearable knowing that the aliens and things found on the planet could be eaten if they purged the planet fast enough to help replenish his need for nutrients.

Vegeta cautiously approached one of the tables, not entirely sure what the meal was or if he really should eat it at all, nothing that smelt that good could be safe. For all he knew, the woman's sire and dame could have poisoned it to get back at him for injuring their pup. Sliding up to the table, Vegeta sniffed the strange arrangement before him. There was some sort of long strings drenched in a chunky red sauce with brown balls that smelt of meat, white and different colored triangles with a sharp smelling yellow inside with a cold piece of meat as well, different colored drinks that bubbled, the roasted bird he was familiar with, but not the other roasted meats at the table because they were not in their original shape and had a strange sauce dripping on them. There was also a large pot with a soup of some sort though it was a red color and had many strange shapes of different colors floating in it. How bizarre. Vegeta wasn't sure what to make of the things lay out and looking towards another table he could see many other types of 'food' laid out on them as well.

"Oh My! You must be that Prince I've been hearing so much about!" A bubbly voice broke the Saiyan's gaze on the table's substances, startling him to look behind at what could have both made that sound and secretly snuck up behind him.

Vegeta found himself staring at a 'thing' even stranger than the woman. It was a female, that much he was sure of, wearing an orange wrap on only her top half, not even covering her shoulders, with a blue type of pants that went over the bottom part of the orange wrap. This female left nothing to the imagination. But the most defining thing about her was that hair, so bright a yellow it reminded him of a burning sun or exotic bird, all curled above and on top of the female's head. His stomach decided that he should stop assessing those around him and get some food, making itself known by growling loudly being heard by both the Prince and this yellow haired female.

"Well dearie, are you going to eat?" the female questioned the Prince who just stared back at her incredulously. "Oh, where are my manners! Hi dearie, I'm Bunny, Bulma's mom, and aren't you just a handsome Saiyan. Whoops, did that slip out? Oh, please don't tell Bulma I told you that dearie. She hates it when I go on and say in her words 'such embarrassing things' but sometimes my mind's stop point and my mouth just don't always connect." She continued to giggle with one hand by her mouth, not minding the stares she was getting from the Saiyan. "It's so nice to have to cook for more people again, especially of the handsome type." She giggled while gesturing between the Saiyan and all the food before him. "Well, go ahead, I didn't cook for the air dearie, eat up!"

Vegeta, not knowing how to respond, just looked back at the 'food' laid out before him and back at the female, not sure if it was safe. It wasn't just that the human made him uncomfortable, something he'd never admit to anyone, but that it just wasn't ever safe to assume that the food given wasn't contaminated. It wasn't uncommon for a soldier to die due to poison in their food or drink during a purge, it was a way of life and how the pecking order continued to change and shift in the barracks and on the war front. It was always best to wait for another to eat of the food and see if they died first before taking any himself if it wasn't prepared or killed by yourself. Those rules still applied to the Saiyan Prince no matter where he'd go. It'd saved him enough times that it'd become an unbreakable habit.

"Oh! You must be one of those people. Just one sec dearie, I'll have them all tasted in no time!" The bubbly voice broke Vegeta out of his dilemma as her words registered in his ears as he watched the female take a fork out of no where and start to eat a piece of every 'food' on the table while telling him what it was, making his eyes widen almost unnoticeably and an eyebrow subtly shoot up once again. _'How could she tell?'_ was raging in the Saiyan Prince's mind, making him paranoid, as if he'd become an open book to this creature. The paranoia got worse, that if he couldn't even hide his thoughts from this female, then how could he hide his weaknesses, _'not that I have any,'_ from the otherinhabitants.

"Alright, well that's what I've made for tonight on this table. If you want, I can taste the other tables as well?" Bunny asked the surly Saiyan questioningly, not knowing how much the Prince was planning to eat.

"This will be fine, now leave me be." The Prince grumbled at the female, not wanting to be in its presence any longer than he had to.

" Alright dearie, just let me know if you need anything." And with that she left the Prince in favor of socializing with her other guests, so happy to be having such a large company, even if they didn't really eat anything she could cook for them. It's like they lived off of water! _'Wait a second, silly me, they do!'_ she giggled to herself while walking off, making Vegeta think that there must have been something wrong with the strange female even more so than before.

From a distance Vegeta watched the female, making certain that nothing was poisoned. Seeing that the female never dropped dead after the first five minutes he looked back towards the table of 'food'. Now knowing that the food was safe, the Saiyan grabbed two of the strange hand tools that the female had been using earlier, putting one in each hand, and tore into his meal. There had never been a need for eating tools when all that he could eat were capsules, pills, and tearing by hand the other roasted aliens and animals after a purge. Using these strange tools with four pointed parts on one end was interesting. That the humans needed to create a strange set of claws to eat their food made him inwardly chuckle, just another point to prove their inferiority, their lack of claws. _'Seems like the woman found an answer to that though,'_ he grumbled, angered at the memory of being harmed by the woman. He put her out of his thoughts in favor of finishing his food, tearing into all of the food and drink at his table before opting to find the woman's dame, intent on eating his fill, as per the agreement and privilege that being a Prince granted him.

…

"Gohan, where's Bulma?" A nervous Dende asked his friend in between the bites of the half-Saiyan child. He had seen the Saiyan Prince eating at one of the tables before seeking out the yellow haired female and Dende had wondered where the blue haired heiress was, he missed her a little bit, she was really nice. And the head rubs felt good too, though he'd never admit it to anyone.

His friend swallowed his food before getting a contemplative look on his face, trying to zero in on the blue haired heiress's Ki. Once he found it, he noticed the direction that it was in and it's constant flow before smiling slightly at his Namekian friend.

"Don't worry about Bulma, she's sleeping under her favorite tree. See over there," he pointed in the general direction on the other half of the garden, "that big willow tree next to the stream? She's sleeping under it. It's nice over there, the flowers smell sweet and the tree keeps its shade well." The purple haired Dr. Briefs looked over to where Gohan had been pointing, also noting that that's where his daughter's favorite tree was. He nodded in agreement to the boy's description, having been under the tree himself before and finding it a nice resting spot, but for his daughter, not so much himself.

"Oh, I wonder why she didn't say hi? Or come over at all? Do you think she found the machine she was talking about earlier?" Dende questioned his friend again, hoping he'd have his answers. Gohan thought about it for a bit, but didn't really know.

"I'm not sure." He took a gulp of his drink before facing his Namekian friend. "Do you want to go over with me and see?" Excitedly whipping his hands and face with a random cloth to clean up, Gohan then jumped out of his chair and grabbed the Namekian child's hand before dragging him towards the willow. The purple haired Doctor just smiled seeing the two run off before going around speaking to the other Namekians.

…

The blue haired heiress had always been a kind presence for Gohan, helping him with some of the harder parts of his Saiyan blood and being there for his family when trouble came. She'd been there for his father when he was a kid, so she'd already had some experience with a Saiyan child, though it didn't really matter that he was only half-Saiyan she'd say. Apparently he was just as excitable and energetic with the same strange quirks. 'It must be in the blood' he'd heard her muttering more than once before smiling at him. She was also his teacher part time, helping him with his studies, both the academic and otherwise when he came over. He saw the blue haired heiress as a part of his family and loved seeing her when he could. Having her help with his studies also helped his case in getting over to the compound when it came to his mother.

The two children ran over to the willow tree where the Ki signature had been steadily fluctuating as the blue haired heiress continued to sleep dead to the world. Reaching the tree and parting the branches, the smiles on the two children's faces slowly faded as they took in her appearance. Gone were her long locks and new bruises and marks could be seen forming on the heiress, the most noticeable being the handprint on her mouth and the burns near her shoulders and hands, though they weren't sure if there were anymore on the blue haired heiress.

Gohan gasped in surprise and anger, knowing who had been responsible while Dende reached forward to heal the blue haired heiress. Gohan stewed in his rage, angered that the Saiyan Prince had hurt his friend and honorary second motherly figure again. But also, he was angered at himself for not noticing anything happening. The burns were obviously Ki burns, something that wouldn't be possible unless one of them had raised their Ki, and seeing them on Bulma made it easy to determine who had been raising their Ki above the limits, Vegeta. How could he not feel that? And even worse, if Bulma had spiked her Ki in fear or even just from being hurt, how could he not detect that? The bruises were from being held harshly, wouldn't he feel the fear spiked Ki of his honorary mother figure?

A groan took him out of his thoughts as Bulma started to wake up, noticing the two familiar Ki next to her. She went to move and noticed that she felt no pain and smiled slightly. _'Did someone heal me? Senzu bean?'_ she wondered before she opened her eyes, only to be met with the concerned and angry eyes of the Namekian child Dende and the half-Saiyan Gohan respectively. She smiled at the two, knowing that the healing must be due to Dende, and reached forward to pull and hold the half-Saiyan and Namekian child close, not entirely sure where the anger Gohan was projecting came from, but having a good guess at _who_ it was probably directed at. She tugged on the child's immovable arm until he relented to be within her grasp as Dende had, who had already yielded to the woman surprisingly fast as he leaned against her side in comfort.

' _So young and yet so strong already,'_ Bulma wryly thought to herself holding Gohan in her lap, thinking about how hard it had been to move the boy. She patted his back and then rubbed it up and down, hoping to calm him. When he just continued to be angry, she sighed in mild frustration, a small frown forming on her face.

"Gohan sweetie, look at me." She told the child, putting a finger under his chin and tapping it until he looked towards her. "That's better. Now why don't you tell me what's wrong?" She questioned the child in her arm.

He gathered his thoughts for a moment before he burst out. "He hurt you, I know he did. That no good _Prince of all Saiyans_ " he spat out, a furrow appearing on his brow. "I don't trust him Bulma, he's awful for hurting you." He admitted before burrowing his face into her neck. "I won't let him get away with it." He mumbled into her skin. Bulma sighed, patting his back before she responded to the half-Saiyan child in her lap.

"Gohan, you have to let it go. It was part of the deal I made with him. He can't hurt any of the normal humans on the planet or the Namekians this way. If I hadn't made the deal where he wouldn't likely break it, then we would have had to worry about an even more mentally unstable Saiyan than he already is when he'd have hurt me if I'd not been included. You may not realize it, but if I hadn't included myself into the category of 'people he can injure' then he might not have held back against the planet. He would have had his word broken; he'd have lost it. Besides," she lifted the child's gaze up into her own, "he can't kill me. Not really. My parents would never help him and since he's here and he's agreed to this that means the deal is true and he can't hurt them and by extension, kill me since that would stop their help that he needs. So please, don't pick a fight Gohan, I don't want to patch up my little honorary pup so soon." She teased the child, running her blunt nails through his hair before tickling his sides. "Or at all really. Look at you, so small. Haven't even reached your first growth!" she crooned at the child, getting a blush out of the small child.

"Fine!" He giggled out, Dende following suit finding the situation funny that the blue haired human was pinning down his half-Saiyan friend even if by choice though slightly saddened he'd lost the woman's arm around himself, "fine, fine, fine, you win. I won't start anything!" His face suddenly got serious, catching both Bulma and Dende's attention. "But I'm staying with you while he's here. At least until it's safe." Seeing her incredulous stare, he amended his words, "or at least relatively safe…you know what I mean Bulma, I don't trust him. I'm sleeping with you tonight…is that okay?" (AN: not like that you perverts) he seemed unsure of himself suddenly, as if he didn't know if it'd be okay still. He wasn't that little anymore, but he'd just feel better knowing he was close by when she was defenseless, at least while she slept, incase anything happened. His father wasn't here anymore to keep her safe and so he felt the duty now fell on him, one he'd taken in stride. Bulma smiled at the all-of-a-sudden shy child.

"You already know my answer. You already know where my room is and your family has access to it. You and Chichi can always spend the night with me, like a big slumber party," she grinned at the child in her arms. "You're always welcome Gohan, don't ever think otherwise, okay?" Gohan nodded, relieved that _that_ hadn't changed. "Good. You can tell Chichi when we see her later, all right? Okay. So…did you eat all the food or did you leave me any?" she teased him again, hearing his indignant squawk at such an accusation as his cheeks went red and Dende laughed at his embarrassment. "Just kidding, but seriously, let's go get something to eat." She smiled at the two children, even though she was sure that Gohan had probably already eaten, preparing to rise when they heard a loud voice boom out.

"WOMAN, WHERE ARE YOU!"

…

 **AN: okay, I hope that this chapter was okay? I'm not sure? I hope you're intrigued by its mystery and (hopefully) new spin on the Bulma and Son family relationship and continue to support my story. I kind of know where I want to take it, and at the same time I'm not sure. Input really does help though…so please read and review I guess? Oh, on a side note… 10,000+ words!**

 **(-^-) So Happy!**


	3. Chapter 3: Confusions and Rules

Not What They Expected

Chapter 3

…

"Human Speech"

' _Thoughts'_

" _ **Namekian"**_

" **Saiya-go"**

…

 **Okay, I got some response this time. Glad to see that some people also agree that Bulma, who is a scientist and a genius in her own rights, should not be so downplayed and that she too can have impact/powers of her own. For those of you who may see that she is learning/known about aliens races, I don't really want this to be one of those space travel fanfics, maybe later, but probably not. Thanks for the reviews and the encouragement. If this chapter takes forever to go online, it's because I am taking weeks to write it.**

 **And if anyone is confused or angry at how Bulma is portrayed in this chapter, just know that she won't be like that for the whole story, just for this 'adjusting' period and it's due to all of the life or death situations she kinda puts herself in and Vegeta's instability at the moment. This is a new situation for Vegeta, to have power over himself and to not have the threat of Freiza breathing down his neck and so his reactions are just Vegeta trying to adjust to his new sense of power.**

 **Also, I changed the rating to M for precautionary purposes; because there is some SLIGHT foul language…like a bad word shows up maybe four times.**

…

Confusions and Rules

…

"WOMAN, WHERE ARE YOU!" The sound of Vegeta's bellow rang in Bulma's ears. The memories that came with that voice stiffened her body before she moved into a fetal position, taking Gohan who was on her lap with her. Her body curled over Gohan's, trying to both protect him from the outside harms as well as her own internal organs and soft spots. She didn't know what the Saiyan Prince had in store for her now and wasn't taking any chanced with her honorary pup.

Dende, who was next to the blue haired heiress, started to shake at the incoming Ki and moved closer to the heiress, his arms wrapping tightly around her middle and putting himself as close as possible to her calming presence. _'This person is safe. She'll protect me, protect us.'_ Dende thought to himself, having recognized that the heiress had put herself in danger, but had gotten the enraged Saiyan to promise not to harm the Namekians. Dende remembered his time on Namek, when the Saiyan Prince had hurt him right after getting healed. He couldn't be trusted, but Bulma could be. _'She's safe, she'll keep me safe.'_ Dende curled up tighter against her side as the Ki got closer and closer.

Gohan stiffened as well before he started to lowly growl towards the voice, feeling the _Prince's_ Ki coming closer to their spot. _'That thrice damned Prince. If he dares to harm her again I'll kill him. Prince or not, full blooded Saiyan or not, I'll kill him.'_ Gohan promised to himself, though knowing he'd probably die before getting his justice and the promise most likely could not be kept. The Saiyan part of him started coming out, the need to protect his own as his father wasn't there to do so. Bulma was _his_ responsibility now, and he intended to keep her safe from the Saiyan Prince. After all, she was pack, Vegeta was not, and pack protects their own.

As the branches parted and the Saiyan Prince came under the tree, Gohan started to growl louder, practically snarling at the Saiyan Prince. Vegeta bared his fangs at the pup, appalled that he'd dare to threaten the Prince of all Saiyans and started to lowly snarl himself, internally telling the pup that if he had any Saiyan sense left that he'd back down _now_. Gohan heard the threatening growl and made a move to go towards the Prince and carry out his internal promise, but Bulma held him back, wrapping one of her arms around the pup and another hand running through his hair, cooing into the pup's ears, trying to calm him down.

"Shhh, it's gonna be okay Gohan. Calm down, calm down. I'm here. I'm alright, everything's alright, calm down. That's it, calm down. Shhh, come on pup, it's okay, I'm here." On and on the blue heiress went, slowly calming the enraged pup 'till his snarl was reduced to a low whine. Gohan snuggled into Bulma's embrace, submitting to her, but kept his eyes on Vegeta just in case. He'd let his honorary mother have her way _this_ time, but Gohan made sure he could step in if he needed to. _'Relaxed, but ready. Just like Mr. Piccolo taught me, relaxed, but ready.'_

Vegeta's snarling was cut off from watching the strange occurrence in front of him. That blue haired woman had calmed down an irritated and angry Saiyan pup.

' _Impossible, she's human. If it were a_ real _Saiyan pup, she'd be ripped to shreds.'_ Vegeta reasoned with himself, refusing to see what was in front of him. Instead he decided to get what he had come for from the woman, deciding to ignore the mutt pup in favor of his demands.

"Woman," his voice caused two of the three to look up at him, two with fear and the one already looking with hate, "put me in your system and show me towards the training equipment." He demanded. Vegeta glared down at the blue haired heiress as she continued to run her fingers through the half-Saiyan pup's hair. Bulma licked her lips before she parted them to answer him.

"Fine, I'll get you in the system," he maliciously smiled at her answer, "but, I'll only show you the training equipment after I show you to your room and everything else you may need." His smile replaced itself with a snarl and he started to advance towards the woman, barely stopping when she raised her hand and tried to continue her train of thought while keeping the pup in her lap calm.

"Let me show you to your room first. I'm not sure how long you train for and this way you can come and go as you please without having to find me afterwards. It's a win-win situation!" She pleaded with the Prince, trying to get him to agree without actually having to say please. Her own pride couldn't take actually using that word for the unruly Prince and it'd taken enough blows for one day.

She wanted to show him everything and how it worked all in one sitting. She didn't want him to find her after his training for random things like his room, the shower, where the kitchen is, the med bay, etc. She wanted him out of her hair once she showed him what he needed. She'd had enough life threatening from the Saiyan Prince for one day, hell she'd had enough of him for a lifetime and things were only just getting started. _'It's going to be a long and torturous 130 days living with this Prince while waiting for you Son-kun. You'd better appreciate it.'_

Vegeta mulled over her proposal of seeing and having the things he would need explained and shown to him in one time frame. He could see the merit in the idea. He'd wanted to get started right away and felt that he was wasting his time here with the woman, but if she showed him his chambers and then the training equipment then he wouldn't need her help anymore. But he didn't want to concede with her either. _HE_ was the boss here and _HE_ made the decisions, not some weak and pathetic earth woman who couldn't even stand to be in his presence without trembling in fear. Even now he could smell it coming off of the woman, the stench of fear and terror. It was almost nauseating, almost being the operative word since the smells made him feel more powerful than anything, to have such a control over another.

Freiza was dead, his tormentor gone. No longer would the Saiyan Prince take orders from anyone but himself.

"No wench, you will show me what I desire and you will do so now!" He snarled at the blue haired woman, taking satisfaction in her flinch and the tremble of her arms as she struggled to keep the mutt pup in place. The slight ache in his gut was easily ignored as he reveled in his obvious superiority. _'That's right woman, I am the Prince and you are but a servant.'_

"Shut UP! You don't talk to Bulma that way!" Gohan cried out, powering up and breaking out of Bulma's hold, leaping towards the Prince. Enough was enough! How dare that pompous jerk talk to his honorary mother that way! No more sitting on the side, letting Bulma handle it, this was a threat and he was going to deal with it.

"Gohan NO!" Cried out Bulma, trying to get a hold back on the pup, but failing as he leaped too fast for her and straight at the Prince. _'Don't do it Gohan. That's what he wants. He's looking for a fight, a reason to discipline you. Don't play into his hands.'_

Vegeta, seeing the incoming pup, smirked before falling into a fighting stance, hands at his sides and ready to beat the impertinent pup into submission, to show that he, Vegeta, was the leader and the one with the power now.

Gohan pulled his arm back, yelling in anger at the Prince for insulting and threatening his honorary mother, and readied to cold cock the smug Prince in his smug face. _'That would teach that Prince jerk a lesson'_ Gohan thought viciously. But before he could even release his arm forward, the Prince raised his leg and slammed its shin into Gohan's stomach. The pup flew out of the tree area and into the nearby stream gathering some attention from the Namekians in the area, Piccolo especially as he swiftly moved to stand behind Gohan. Vegeta glanced at the Namekian fighter, gauging to see if he'd retaliate against him for 'hurting' the pup and seeing that the Namekian stood still Vegeta returned his gaze back to the mutt pup.

"What's the matter mutt, can't take a hit?" taunted the Prince, thrilled at his sense of power over what little was left of his people. He viciously smiled at Gohan as he watched the half-Saiyan child get up again and ready himself for another fight. Vegeta copied the half-Saiyan mutt and readied himself to discipline the mutt once more. _'This will be fun.'_ Vegeta thought to himself, imagining the kinds of pains he could inflict on the mutt in place of his father. _'Oh yes, very fun. So long as he strikes first I can retaliate all I like. It seems the Namekian's only here in case I go to far. Like he could stop me anyways.'_

"Vegeta, Gohan, stop!" Bulma called out, sprinting from her position on the ground and consequentially taking little Dende on her hip with her, moving herself in front of Gohan and Piccolo in hopes of getting the fighting to stop. She held her ground, looking the Prince in the eyes as she set Dende down, only for the small Namekian to cling to the back of her leg, and then spread her arms out, using her body as a shield for the two children behind her, not noticing Piccolo's arrival. Even as the Prince approached, snarling at the heiress and spiking his Ki, Bulma held her ground, determined to protect the little ones behind her, even if for a short amount of time.

Vegeta stalked closer and closer, smelling the fear and terror coming off of the woman in waves, causing him to wrinkle his nose. _'She smelled better with anger or even indifference...'_ Vegeta's thoughts trailed off before he shook himself out of it. He came nose to nose with the heiress and then trailed his face along hers until his mouth was resting next to her ear. He glanced behind the woman towards the pup, curious why no attack had been made towards him. After all, he was oh so close to the woman and his hand just might slip. He grinned at that thought. His gaze wandered over the half-Saiyan pup, seeing it restrained by the Namekian fighter. The mutt pup continued to struggle in the Namekian's grasp, trying to get to the woman, but the Namekian would not yield to it's demands, instead opted for watching the Saiyan Prince very closely. _'Oh, so you're waiting to see what I'll do are you Namekian.'_ Vegeta smirked at the two and briefly glanced down at the Namekian child still clinging to the woman's leg, amused that the youngling would stick so close to the woman instead of running from the obvious danger, before addressing the woman directly.

"Woman, who gave you permission to use my name?" He whispered in cold anger sending shivers down Bulma's spine. She broke out in a cold sweat, forgetting that she'd been calling him 'Prince' up until now to placate him and feared what he'd do to her for using his name instead of his title. _'But why is it such a big deal? His people are gone except for two, his name is Vegeta, and this is Earth. Surely he'd cut me some slack?'_ Bulma prayed. She waited anxiously as the Prince continued to invade her space, his lips still close to her ears, warming her neck with his breath. "Well woman, I'm waiting. Who gave you permission?" His Ki was a torrent of energy, spiking and suppressing itself over and over again, giving Bulma a headache. Not that the invasion of space by the Saiyan Prince and threat he posed to her was helping much. Bulma nervously answered the Prince.

"N-no one did-" She stuttered out, only to be cut off.

"Ho," Vegeta breathed out, turning closer to her ear, "then tell me woman, why did you use it?"

"I-it was an a-accident I swear. It w-won't ha-happen again."

"No, it won't happen again." Vegeta promised the blue heiress. "And do you know why?" Bulma shook her head lightly at the Prince. "Answer me woman, do you know why?"

"N-no," she choked out, though already having a good idea as to why.

"Because," he ran one of his hands through her now short hair before lightly put his thumb on one side of her wind pipe and the rest of his fingers winding around her neck. The motion caused Gohan to bristle and let out a warning growl that just caused the Saiyan Prince to tighten the hand on the heiress's neck. Bulma could still breathe, but the pressure was causing her face to redden as the blood got cut off. "If you ever use my name again without permission, I'll make you wish you were dead." She lightly whimpered at the threat. Vegeta's grin widened at the sound.

A large Ki spike caught the Saiyan Prince's attention as he gazed back towards its source, the Namekian fighter once again. "And what's your problem Namekian?" He questioned the other fighter, the only other creature close to his power on this planet, though the mutt may show promise in the future if he took his training seriously. _'Training, I should be getting back to that if it weren't for this woman holding me back.'_ He thought to himself while taking a quick glance back to the woman in question, not really caring that it was due to the woman that he'd be getting the use of the training equipment at all. His attention was caught once again by a Ki spike from the Namekian fighter.

"You've made your point Saiyan now release her." He ordered the Saiyan Prince, taking a more hostile stance towards him while pushing little Gohan back. Gohan got the message and took a few more steps behind his Mr. Piccolo and waited for any type of signal he may give.

Vegeta's eyes narrowed at the order. He leaned back from the woman, but kept his hold on her throat. Suddenly, he turned the woman around, holding her by her waist and kept her close to his body, her back to his front. He lifted his other hand and put it back on her throat once more. Vegeta felt a little body next to his leg and scowled down at the little Namekian. He nudged the body with his foot until it looked up at him and he flashed his canines at the Namekian child. Dende's fear spiked at that 'smile' and he scrambled off of Bulma's leg and backed up from the two. Dende ran off, not wanting to be any closer to the Prince and went to get help.

"Or what green man? Or else?" He taunted the Namekian. Piccolo grinded his teeth as he scowled at the Saiyan Prince. "Oh come on Namekian, you can do it. Or else what?"

"Or else I'll make your time here on this planet a living hell before I send you there myself." He snarled.

"Oh, big words for a bug squashed by Nappa. Tell me, how does it feel to die for that pitiful mutt your protecting instead of in a real battle." Vegeta smirked at the Namekian and half-Saiyan mutt duo, the smirk only getting wider at noticing the mutt flinch. Piccolo smirked at his words, standing tall while knowing that anything done for the brat would be worth it.

"Oh, I'm sure you can relate. How did it feel dying by Freiza and having your ass saved by a third class Saiyan? Even I had to save your ass when Freiza transformed or did you forget that?" He taunted back. Vegeta saw red. Both of their Ki started spiking and Bulma had to cover herself in her own meager Ki just to not get burned again. The air around them lashed out, carving little divots and rivulets into the ground. Vegeta started to tense almost chocking Bulma in the process, ready to fight the Namekian and throw the woman to the side as Piccolo and Gohan raised their Ki. Vegeta readied himself for a fight if it weren't for interference by an unlikely source, a very high pitched and colorful source.

"Oh, there you are Piccolo. I've been looking everywhere for you. Should've known you'd be with Gohan. I known you don't eat, but I found some of our special mineral water that arrived a few days ago and I wanted to know what you thought. Oh, Bulma's here too, and that handsome dearie as well! If I weren't a married woman." Bunny giggled to herself, breaking the tension that had previously permeated the area. The older woman could be seen carrying three bottles of some sort of liquid, each bottle colored differently.

Piccolo lightly blushed, used to the older woman's antics when it came to him and different types of water. Gohan came to the Briefs compound often and he came as well to relax in their gardens. It wasn't as peaceful as some of the wastelands that he'd stumbled upon, though much better than the over populated human parks and gardens, but sometimes the Brief's company was a nice change of pace compared to the many weeks of solitude and the snippety old ways of Kami and Mr. Popo if he ever visited them. The Briefs, those on the look out tower, the Son family, and possibly the Z-fighters were about the only beings that he could stand. The Briefs family never pushed him to do things he didn't want to or talk about things he didn't feel like divulging, the only exception being Bunny and her water. When Bunny found out that he didn't eat food, after she tried to get him to taste her sandwiches that she made for Gohan, she'd been getting him all sorts of different waters instead, trying to find his favorite one. The search and comparisons continued on to this day.

Gohan never knew what to think of the older woman, often times just saw her as the funny lady that Bulma called mom, with her wacky clothes and funny, yet embarrassing, exclamations. But other times she was really insightful, calling him out on some of the strangest things. Like his relationship with Mr. Piccolo and the respect he held for him, how it wasn't just because he was his teacher, but also because he'd always been there for him like Bulma had been. How Mr. Piccolo was his second father just like Bulma was his second mother. When Bunny had told him that, it had shocked him because it was true, Mr. Piccolo had been there for him where in many cases his own father wasn't. It wasn't that he didn't love his father, Goku; it was just that Mr. Piccolo had been _there_ for him. Even in his death Mr. Piccolo was there, protecting him, keeping him safe.

Bulma squirmed at the presence of her 'mother', just knowing what she'd say about the position she'd found herself in, despite the fact that her life may have been in peril. She'd probably go on and on about 'what a nice young man he is' and 'how happy she is that she'd found such a great catch' and the icing on the cake always being 'if only I weren't married, but it's a happy marriage so I'm alright.' Bulma's mother had been trying to get her a love life for years; she'd never really dated anyone in all her years. If anyone ever took an interest in her it was for a few obvious things, her money, her body, her prestige, her connections, and the uprising company. They never actually took an interest in her, but the things that she could give to them. Sure income was a big one, but she wasn't vain or blind to her body either, simply not as invested in it as others would have been. It was hot in her straight up honest opinion and it had many men drooling at her feet, but none of them could even hold a conversation that used more than one syllable words in their answers and so they bored her and her more complex mind. She was more worried on how fit her body was, if she could outrun an attacker or kick a pushy man in the balls hard enough. Besides, she'd never actually had time for guys, what with all the problems she'd gone through in her life being an heiress to such a young and now politically and globally strong company.

Bulma tried to get the Saiyan Prince to let go of her, a deep blush covering her cheeks as she wiggled around in his grip. Her fingers went to grip his, trying to pry them open from their steely frozen position on her waist and throat. Unfortunately for her, moving around while gripped so closely to the Saiyan Prince's front wasn't her best-made decision.

' _Oh my God! What is that woman doing!'_ Vegeta internally screamed feeling the blue haired woman unknowingly grind against his front. ' _First the yellow haired female once again degrades me and my standing by calling me 'dearie' though I will agree with the handsome part, and then this one…this one…gah! I can't take this anymore!'_

"Woman stop your moving this instant! It's, it's…" he hissed at the blue haired woman in his grip, hoping to get her to cease those distracting movements. His words registered in Bulma's head, being tossed and turned until she finally got what he meant and went an even deeper shade of red. Her actions stopped immediately though, so the Saiyan Prince got what he wanted and breathed out a sigh of relief, not realizing he'd been holding his breathe. Now that she'd stopped moving, he didn't really mind having her in his grasp, she couldn't run away like this.

"Veg-Prince," Bulma frowned at having to correct herself once she felt the dangerous spike of Ki behind her at almost saying the Saiyan Prince's name out loud, "could you let go of me. Like, now." Bulma turned her head to gaze at the Prince, hoping to convey that they did _not_ want to stand this close to one another with her mother around. He didn't get the message.

"You dare try to order me around again woman?" He exclaimed at the heiress in his arms, ignoring those around him.

"No Prince. I'm asking, not ordering and in this case it'd be beneficial to both parties." She tried to hint once again looking between him and her mother.

He didn't know her mother like she did. Her mother would be all over the two of them, trying to get them together if she even felt that there'd be a good chance of it working out so long as both parties showed any interest. And this often involved many embarrassing situations, uncomfortable questions, and many, many under the radar interrogations. She may look sweet and naïve, but Bulma knew her mother, she'd married a scientist and it takes more than looks to keep someone interested in them for so long. She'd seen it go down, there was more to that woman she called mother than meets the eye. Piccolo had found out the hard way and would surely agree with her.

Vegeta looked to where the woman's gaze went and finally got the message somewhat. The woman's dame was watching with a strange glint in her eyes and he did not like it one bit. That female was more insightful than she appeared. He couldn't even blast the dame into the next dimension; he'd given his word to not hurt her. And so, with great reluctance to follow what the woman told him to do, he released her and proceeded to cross his arms in front of his chest.

"Alright, I've done what you've _asked_ woman, now put me in your blasted system and show me to the training facilities." Vegeta grumbled at the woman, hoping to finally get what he had come to her for. Bulma took a step away from him and crossed her own arms around herself.

"Alright, but could you go to the door/entrance to the garden? That's where the information gets inputted." She told the Saiyan Prince while backing off and walking towards the tree.

"And where do you think you're going woman? Did you think I'd just listen to your orders? Or let you out of my reach like last time?" Vegeta growled out, his breath tickling and raising the hairs on Bulma's neck as he stalked closer to the blue haired woman who had been retreating from him. As if he'd let her out of his sights, she might have disappeared into another wall on him.

Bulma sighed and turned back towards the Saiyan Prince, her eyes showing how tired she was. _'I didn't even get to eat or get a full nap's worth of rest in before all this crazy shit started going down.'_ She grumbled to herself. She stood tall and stared the Saiyan Prince in the eyes, her posture being picked up and mimicked, as the Saiyan Prince stood straight as well.

"It's not an order. It's a request. I left the equipment under that tree," she pointed to where they were earlier, "and still have to go grab it. And there are other reasons to separate at the moment." She whispered to the Prince lowly, making another eye motion towards her mother. Vegeta saw the motion and decided to go along with the woman's choice. It seems that she'd grown a spine, though a small one, in the presence of her dame. He'd get an answer to her madness soon enough.

"Alright Woman, but you'd better not disappoint. And make it quick." Vegeta snapped before sauntering to where the entrance was located. Bulma sighed in relief and made towards the tree quickly, not wanting to test the Saiyan Prince's patience.

Bunny, who had been having her own small talk with Piccolo and Gohan, trying to get the Namekian to try the water in front of her and see what Gohan wanted for dessert later, turned to her daughter and was disappointed that she and the Saiyan Prince weren't together anymore. _'They looked so close to each other too.'_ She pouted in her mind. When Bulma got far enough that she passed her mother and Bunny could see the back of Bulma's head she let out a small shriek.

"Bulma," she cried out, going forward and putting her hands on each side of her face, "what happened to your hair!" Bunny ran her fingers through the now short and uneven hair, feeling the kind of undercut that was made on the back of her head. Bulma squirmed in her mother's hands and wouldn't look her in the eyes. "Bulma, what happened to your hair?" She asked more seriously at seeing her hesitate. Bulma cautiously made eye contact with her mother.

"It's not important," she mumbled before looking away once again.

"Bulma honey, it is important. You barely have a chance to grow it out and were so happy with its progress. Now tell me, what happened." She stressed. She knew her daughter and knew her reasons for always changing hairstyles. Mostly, it was kept short due to work and her time as a wild child, but she'd had a chance to at least get it shoulder length recently. Bulma'd told her all the time about how she'd like to at least experience long hair once, at least once, while times were peaceful and she didn't have to worry about hair pulling children, burning it off with wild Ki, having it catch fire in a laboratory experiment, or having it caught in something when in the woods. That trip to Namek was the perfect time of peace, at least while traveling, to grow it out and now it's as short as her fathers! She was going to get an answer.

"It was a Ki accident mom, okay. Can we just leave it at that?" she pleaded, not wanting to get in an argument about letting Vegeta stay. Bunny looked hard at her daughter, already guessing as to what had happened.

"Fine, but don't think this is the end honey. I will find out eventually and we _will_ talk about it." She promised her daughter.

Bulma smile gratefully at her mother, happy she was dropping the subject at least temporarily. "Thanks mom." She hugged the older woman who removed her hands from her hair and started to soothingly rub her daughter's back.

"You're welcome." She replied, continuing with her ministrations. It was a warm embrace, but something bugged Bulma.

"Hey mom,"

"Yes honey?"

"How is your timing so perfect?" Bulma swore her mother came in at the moment that she needed her most, right when things were gonna go to hell. Bunny just giggled, knowing what she'd meant.

"Would you believe me if I said it was a mother's intuition?" she teased. Bulma groaned at her answer.

"No, now tell me how you did it." She lightly pouted at her mother's response.

"Well, this cute as a button little Namekian came up to me and said that you were in trouble. That some 'crazy Saiyan was going to kill us all' and that you three were in danger and that he needed help. So I grabbed a couple bottles of water, told that little cutie to stay put, and came over." She replied as if it were nothing. Bulma shook her head at her mother. _'Only she'd go to combat against a 'crazy Saiyan' with only a bottle of water and her wit.'_

"Now, didn't you have a hot, handsome Prince to be getting back to?" Bunny waggled her eyebrows at Bulma suggestively, interrupting Bulma's line of thought. Bulma blushed lightly before scowling at her mother.

"Mom, you know it'd never work out so stop whatever thoughts you are having right now. Remember, he's that 'crazy Saiyan' you just saved me from." She warned her mother. Bunny just giggled while she released her daughter from her embrace.

"Oh honey, you should know to never say never." She lightly said before turning away from her daughter to get back to the guests. "I'll see you later honey." She waved back towards her daughter while walking towards her destination. Bulma just shook her head at her mother's antics. _'So serious one second and then a young teenager the next. You never change mom.'_

Bulma went back to the tree to retrieve her equipment and then started to head over towards the garden entrance where she told Vegeta to meet her. She waved off Gohan and Piccolo who she could feel starting to follow her as she made her way over to the Prince feeling his Ki in the distance. She couldn't have those three next to each other again so soon, there'd be an explosion for sure. They got the message and left her alone as she continued on her way though they also made sure to give her a hard stare, saying with their eyes that they'd be over at the smallest signs of trouble. Bulma sighed at their antics, knowing how overprotective those two could get when it came to things they found important and her safety happened to fall under their protection apparently. She nodded at them and they turned to go find Dende and rejoin the big group of Namekians.

Bulma could now visibly see the Prince next to the garden door, leaning against the wall in agitation, no doubt because she'd taken a while longer than expected to get there. The moment their eyes met Bulma was met with hostility. She flinched briefly, but steeled her resolve to go over there and deal with the problem like an adult. She'd handled Saiyan's and angry men before, though none as dangerous as Vegeta she'd admit, and she could do this. This was her home and no unruly houseguest was going to get the better of her.

"Woman, what took you so long?" Vegeta growled out, wanting his questions answered. Bulma looked him in the eyes, her expression guarded against the Prince as she answered him.

"My mother stopped me briefly, wanting to know what'd happened to my hair and to know if I was okay." She dully told the Prince, ignoring the slight wince he displayed at the mention of her hair. "I should warn you now to not touch me again Prince." Vegeta scowled at that, not liking her tone of voice.

"Your safety is not a part of the deal woman. I can do what I want with you." His voice was angry, angry that this woman kept trying to back out of her deal. She was not a part of it, if she wanted her safety, she would have to make another one and offer something more in return. If she backed out of this part of the deal, and if he didn't stand firm in the agreement they had made, then the whole exchange would fall apart. Then she'd be demanding for one of her precious _Z-fighters_ safety and then some other things safety, etc. She might even try to take away the things that she'd promised and he would not lose those.

"Fine, but not when my mother or father are in the room." She flippantly changed her words, but Vegeta would not stand for her dismissal of _his_ words.

"You don't seem to get it. Woman, you have no safety, whether it is in the presence of your dame or your sire or anyone else, so stop trying to get me to agree to your protection. _Now._ " He snarled at the woman, and only snarled louder when she made no show of great terror, only a slight fear in her eyes. He watched as her expression hardened once more and she took in a lung of air before replying to him. Bulma wasn't too worried at the moment, he'd see things her way or regret his decision later.

"Prince, I don't think you understand. My mother is not exactly normal. That's not a bad thing so to speak, but when she sets her mind to something, she'll put all her effort into it. If she enlists my father for information and help and he _agrees_ then there is almost no stopping her." Vegeta lightly frowned, not understanding why the woman was telling him this. Bulma sighed again, running one hand through her short hair and tugging at the strands. _'How to explain this to a stubborn Saiyan Prince who_ doesn't _have a mother like Bunny.'_

"Okay, how about this. She's not getting any younger and would love to see some grandkids. And to her, it doesn't matter if the child is all human or not so long as it's mine." She watched the Prince closely, studying his face, looking for some sort of sign that what she was saying was getting through to him. "If she sees me show any signs of interest in someone and the person in question reciprocates said interest, she would try her damned hardest to get me with that person whether it was a simple misunderstanding or not. Understand now?" Vegeta's face showed signs of horror and disgust while looking at the woman closely. He shuddered and took a step away from Bulma. For some reason she didn't know, that show of rejection hurt, but she buried that hurt away and went to the door.

"Well now you know. So long as you don't touch me and I don't touch you, at least in such a compromising way again, we should be fine. That's why I had us separate, it was giving her ideas. As I said, I know my mom." She fiddled with the device in her hands, rotating the cylinder part round and round between her palms.

"Enough about that, now come over here so I can put you in the system." She told the Prince behind her while placing the cylinder part of the device into the wall where a perfect circle had been taken out. Vegeta gazed over the woman's shoulder, watching as she put in information he couldn't understand as her fingers flew across buttons that weren't there previously as strange symbols appeared on a screen that also weren't there previously. _'How bizarre, what is that woman doing?'_

"Alright, now all I need is a blood sample and we're good." She turned to look at the Prince while tightly smiling and holding the needle part of the device. "It's okay, don't be alarmed, the needle can't hurt you. That's right, just come this way slowly, look at me, look at me." She cooed at the Prince, slowly bringing one hand up in a beckoning fashion.

"Woman, what are you doing?" Vegeta asked incredulously, feeling slightly insulted that the woman would make such childish sounds at him. Bulma stopped cooing and brought her hand down to her side. Her face heated up in embarrassment.

"Nothing, now come over here." she tried to down play it, but Vegeta's interest had been sparked.

"What were those noises you were making? What was the purpose of that?" he inched closer to her, amused by her embarrassment. Her blush increased at the closing distance as Vegeta went into her personal space. Bulma leaned back as far as she could, putting up her hands for protection from the incoming Saiyan.

"Prince, remember what I said about compromising positions?" she tried to get him to focus elsewhere. A flash of something passed through his eyes before his face settled into one of disgust as he gazed down at her before backing up from her space once more. Bulma frowned at that look. _'What, am I no good to that pompous Prince? How, where, and why? Anyone else would have been drooling just being so close to me. My body is decently curvy and strong, what's not to like?'_ Bulma thought spitefully though also a bit thankful that she wouldn't have to worry about the Prince like _that_ at least. _'What, I don't want him to like me, isn't this perfect then? Get it together Bulma, you're better than this_ and _that pompous Prince.'_

Her inner anger fueled her motions as she reached out to grab the Saiyan Prince's arm. Once again, not the smartest move she could have made.

Vegeta reacted as he would have reacted for anyone else and any other threat; he grabbed the incoming limb and threw it over his shoulder.

Bulma flew though the air for a few seconds before landing on her back 5 feet away from the Prince. The air was knocked out of her lungs and she had difficulty catching her breath. Vegeta looked behind him to the fallen woman and was surprised to see how difficult it was for her to breath. _'I can't have hurt her that much; she survived going through a tree, she'll be fine. I just wish she would hurry up already.'_ Vegeta internally complained, waiting for the woman to return to his side not really caring about her condition.

"BULMA!" a loud, young voice called out before rushing to the woman's side. The mutt was by the woman's side, rubbing her back with one hand while he shot the Saiyan Prince icy glares for throwing his honorary mother like that. The Namekian could be seen standing a distance away from the two, but kept his eyes on the Saiyan Prince.

"Why did you hurt her?" Gohan growled out at the Saiyan Prince, wanting an answer to the question that would probably never be answered. And once again it wasn't truly answered as the Prince shrugged his shoulder.

"The woman struck first, I retaliated," was his simple response to the enraged mutt. Gohan growled as the lack of care in the Saiyan Prince's voice and made to start a fight, but he never even got two steps in before a pair of arms were wrapping around his middle.

"It's fine Gohan, it was my fault this time. I didn't warn him, he's a fighter, and you know this stuff happens sometimes. I'm sure it was an accident." She calmed the half-Saiyan child in her arms.

Gohan's snarling and growling once again was brought down to a whimper and Bulma couldn't help but laugh at it, struck by a strange thought. The one and a half Saiyan's and the Namekian looked to her, having similar confused looks just causing Bulma to laugh harder.

"Hahahahaha, it's just like earlier. Deja vu, am I right?" she grinned at the two Saiyans, partial-Saiyan, and Namekian beings in front of her and smiled. Gohan grinned with her, finding the humor in it while the Saiyan Prince looked away with a scowl. Bulma sighed at that before looking at the half-Saiyan pup in her lap.

"So Gohan, are you here to watch me put a needle in Vegeta's arm, or are you here for a shot yourself?" playfully questioned Bulma, having a deathly white Gohan hastily shake his head no and rush out of the area back to where it was safe. Piccolo deemed the situation handled and went back to find Dende.

Vegeta raised an eyebrow at the antics of the two in silent question.

"And that, dear Prince, is why I was cooing at you earlier. Both Goku and Gohan are afraid of needles, though Goku more so than Gohan. And since there are no other Saiyans to truly compare to, I thought it might be a Saiyan thing for some reason. Silly, I know, not every human is afraid of needles, but how was I supposed to know? It kinda unconsciously came out, the noises I mean. I'm used to having to calm them down now before sticking a needle into them." She got back to her feet and passed by the Saiyan Prince, putting the needle part of her machine back into her hands. "They didn't use to be like that either, at least with Gohan. But then Goku pulled his aside one day and them BAM, now Gohan hates needles too." Vegeta stared at the woman's back long and hard before making his thoughts known.

"It was foolish of you to think that every Saiyan would be like that clown Kakarot and his mutt. I'm not even sure if he's still Saiyan. If it weren't for that power he possesses he'd be as pitiful as you humans." He remarked. "His mutt is more Saiyan than he is." He snorted at that, finding it shameful that what was left of his race was reduced to so little.

"I wouldn't be so sure." Bulma whispered, remembering her time with Goku as a child. Goku'd mellowed out over the years, but some things would always remain. His blood couldn't be changed.

Vegeta ignored her words, not caring to question them. He'd spent enough time around that foolish Saiyan and had made his own conclusions about the Earth raised Saiyan. The woman was delusional if she thought that that foolish Saiyan Kakarot was more Saiyan like than that previously snarling mutt pup.

Neither of the two wished to talk after that and a silence befell on them. Tensions rose, not sure what was going to happen next as both of their prides held them from breaking the silence first.

' _This is ridiculous,'_ thought Bulma internally groaning. She decided to get things done as she turned to face the scowling Saiyan. _'The sooner I do this, the sooner he's out of my hair. My now short thanks to_ him _hair.'_ She frowned at him, the reminder of what he'd taken from her making anger briefly flash in her eyes before she cooled her expression completely, showing no emotions.

Vegeta saw the frown and in return scowled harder, not completely at her, but more at his internal reaction to that frown. He didn't like seeing her frown at _him_. _'Foolish, what am I thinking.'_ He pushed those thought away immediately. When her expressions changed, he caught them and was surprised at seeing her hold back her anger under such a cool, emotionless expression. He'd thought that Earthlings were incapable of self-control.

Bulma motioned for the Saiyan Prince to come forward, holding the needle and chord attachment in one hand and her fingers on the other hand curling in a gesture for him to approach her. Vegeta did so reluctantly, not used to the woman being so quiet, and so stiffly went to her side. Vegeta was slightly taken aback when they next met eyes, as the woman's were hard like ice when they gazed at him and completely closed off. She kept his gaze as she slowly raised her free hand into his view before carefully placing it on his arm. Vegeta flinched at the contact, but seeing what the woman wanted, didn't throw her across the garden. Her eyes melted a little, the ice becoming softer at seeing her hand still resting on his arm with no repercussions. Bulma let out a sigh of relief and went into her 'working mode' as she got more comfortable and did her 'job'.

The woman was becoming more and more of a mystery to Vegeta. One moment she looked as if she'd kill him, the next she was moving his arm this way and that, putting pressure and pulling out some rubbery length from a compartment on the needle and wrapping it around his forearm tight, her face close to his arm looking at it as if it were no big deal being so close to his person. Vegeta watched her as she put two fingers along his vein, making sure of its location, before slipping the needle into it. The prickle of pain that came with the entry of the needle was not great, and he was expecting it, so the tightening of his muscles in that area, that small flinch, was not so great a deal as compared to what it could have been. The woman did not seem to think to.

"Hey! Ease up Prince, before you snap the needle in your arm." She scolded the Saiyan while rubbing his forearm in an attempt to loosen the muscles back up. It wasn't really likely or possible for a needle to break like that in a person's arm, but she knew things could change if any Ki were factored in or the Saiyan's physiology that she'd studied taken into account. "I'm sure you've been stuck before, but I'm also sure our metals aren't as strong, now relax or you'll be the one regretting it later." She promised him, continuing her ministrations.

Once again she'd thrown him for a loop, going from emotionless to a fierce woman in charge, scolding him as if he were a child and she the adult. Her fingers worked like magic as the Saiyan Prince's arm relaxed under their attention. Bulma softly smiled at that before pushing a small button on the needle.

Vegeta could feel the blood leave his body into the needle as it made small air sucking sounds. He stayed in place, hoping to get it over with faster. _'Isn't there some other way to get into this woman's system? This is ridiculous. Besides, what does she need a blood sample for?'_ His paranoia kicked in, thinking of the different things that someone might use his blood for.

Bulma looked towards the screen before revealing a small smile and pushing a different button on the needle before removing it from the Saiyan Prince's arm. She rubbed the point that the needle had entered the Saiyan Prince lightly, knowing that a small thing like that would heal in mere moments, and removed the band from around his forearm.

"There, all done with that. That wasn't so bad, was it?" She questioned the Saiyan Prince, forgetting that he wasn't like her other Saiyan family. Vegeta scowled at her tone of voice, her talking to him as if he were a child annoyed him.

"As if your primitive human tools could harm me." He haughtily replied. Bulma scowled, not liking her equipment being called primitive.

"Oh really, so my tools are primitive?" She sweetly asked the Prince, a vein throbbing on her head. Vegeta never caught on.

"What else would they be called? Compared to the planets made of machinery and their inhabitants a mixture of flesh and metal, where would a needle stand in that spectrum? It might as well have been a stick compared to a knife."

"Well, without my oh so _primitive tool,_ you wouldn't have any access to the compound. In fact, you _still_ don't have complete access to the compound." She crossed her arms over her chest. "You sir, only have access level 2: guest rooms, kitchen, med bay, to use the space ship and it's controls, but not leave the atmosphere, etc. You want to go anywhere more personal to me, and you'll be 'access denied'. My room, my lab, and anything that's _mine_ are closed off. I have access level GM: anything and everything is open to me and I can change the rules as I see fit. I can control this compound from almost anywhere, I built these programs and modifications, the programs in that gravity chamber you'll be using later, almost everything in this compound, so don't you _dare_ call my work of genius _primitive!_ "

Vegeta wasn't sure what to think. Now the woman was yelling at him, and that he wasn't going to take.

"Woman Shut Up. Compared to the rest of the universe, your work is primitive, but it is also the best that I can get on this miserable backwater planet at the moment, the only reason that I'd put up with you and your _requests._ Accept that fact and get on with it." He crossed his arms in front of his chest, looking down at the woman who was also staring hard at him. They held each other's gaze both filled with indignation at the other before Bulma pursed her lips and turned away from the Saiyan Prince to finish inputting things into the screen. Vegeta smirked, thinking he'd won this battle of wills with the woman.

"Fine then, let's get this over with." She put in the rest of the information, having the Ki separated from the blood sample she'd taken earlier and having the blood itself analyzed for diseases, what type of blood it was, and other such things. She talked while she worked.

"We've got to establish a couple ground rules, the basics of the basics if you're going to be living here long term. The gravity chamber is open at any time for you, but food is not going to be the same. Breakfast in this home start at 8:00 am and if that doesn't work for you then ask one of the house bots to either make you something, cook it yourself, or if my mother made something and left it in the fridge for you, then heat it up in the microwave. We may wake up earlier than that, but Breakfast is always at 8:00 am and eaten together. Lunch and dinner are more flexible in terms of time and attendance, but I know at least this much about Saiyans and you can always find a snack to eat whenever you're hungry. Me and my family aren't always home, we have to go to the Capsule Corp. Headquarters to make sure things are running smoothly with the people there. And yes my mother works there as well. Like I said, she's not all she appears.

Anyways, if things go wrong with the gravity chamber then you find either my father or me, we built that ship and its programs together. You get injured you can find any one of us and we could treat you to some degree though my mother and me are the best when it comes to medical injuries though I beat her when it comes to any Ki related injury. Don't bother Dende, he doesn't deserve it and won't always be around to heal you.

I don't care how late you stay up or how early you get up so long as you don't bother anyone, but bathe regularly, the smell of a sweaty Saiyan is not the most appealing thing in the world and neither is the clothing of one. We have a washer and dryer, we can clean your clothes, but your body is up to you. Any questions?" Bulma turned towards the Saiyan Prince, arms folded across her body once more in a defensive manner.

Vegeta was shocked though not completely surprised that the woman would make rules for him, though he knew he wasn't going to follow many of them. Most of the things that the woman had said made sense to him; common sense really, but that she'd needed to tell him almost insulted the Saiyan Prince.

Bulma saw the insulted look on his face but ignored it. She'd had way too many unruly guests who did what they wanted, completely disregarding her family and their wants. She was going to tell the Saiyan straight away what was at the _very least_ expected of him.

"No? Good, then let's go." She turned away from him and put her hand on the door. Right before she pushed any Ki into it the two were interrupted by a voice behind them.

"Bulma, where do you think you're going?" Dr. Briefs questioned his daughter. The older man with purple hair, a lab coat, an unlit cigarette in his mouth, large glasses, and a black kitten on his shoulder came up to them and looked over the Saiyan Prince.

"To take this Prince to the gravity chamber." She gestured her thumb at the Prince. "Why?"

Vegeta felt the older man's stare and unconsciously straightened up, feeling that gaze look at him and slowly break him apart, as if trying to see how he ticked. It unnerved the Prince, but once again, this wasn't a human he could rip apart for their wandering gaze. The woman on the other hand…

Dr. Briefs let out a puff of air seeing the Saiyan eye his daughter with a glint in his eyes. He'd heard about the deal his daughter had made, ingenious really to honor bound the Saiyan, but he wished that she'd thought of her safety as well when making such a deal. The Prince was built, his body showing years of time, effort, and experience one could only get when in battle. The fluid motions, how he'd straightened when his gaze had befallen on him, the return of a calculating look sent back at him, all signs of a veteran of the battle. Oh, how he wished his daughter had been more careful, for now he had to ask her some questions though, and so leaned to look around the Saiyan Prince.

"Bulma, have you explained the rules to him yet?" he questioned his daughter, ignoring the Prince standing in between them.

"Yeah," she replied, moving her torso to gaze around Vegeta and look at her father. Vegeta could not believe the two of them, ignoring him in such a way. He huffed in indignation.

"Alright then, just be careful. And you," he straightened up and turned his gaze once more on the Saiyan, "no funny business with my daughter you got that. She's not on the market." He warned the Saiyan Prince, internally chuckling when both the Saiyan and his daughter went a little red in embarrassment. He didn't care if his wife thought the man was handsome, he didn't approve… at the moment. What, it's been a long time since that incident, she's gonna have to grow up some time.

"DAD!" Bulma gasped as her father chuckled at her reaction.

"What, your mother got to me." Her father said as if that explained everything, which in a way, almost did. He shrugged his shoulders in a 'what can you do' manner and then started to walk off. Before he could go Bulma yelled something to him.

"Hey dad, would you put the Namekians in they system please? Level 1 or 2 is fine."

"Alright, alright."

"OH! But make sure Dende's a level 1! There's a sleep over in my room tonight!"

"Alright dear." Her father waved her off, not bothering to look behind him.

"Okay that's it then, let's go before someone else comes by." Bulma mumbled to the Saiyan at her side. He nodded in agreement and Bulma opened the garden door and they passed through a couple more leading deeper into the compound.

"Woman, what are we doing in here?" questioned the Prince as they found themselves in another lab, this one _not_ the woman's.

"Well, I'm looking for the gravity chamber." She easily replied, continuing to look through and read the different capsules her father kept in his lab. She put down the case of capsules she was holding and crawled over to the next case on the floor. Vegeta scoffed at her, thinking her to be crazy. No ship could be so small. He started to question her sanity before remembering her make a communications device appear out of something similarly shaped. He held his tongue at the memory.

"Found it!" Bulma exclaimed, holding up a capsule with a red band, a big GC and some small numbers around it. "Now let's go!" She stood up and made for the door again, only to wobble slightly on the way, her legs partially asleep from being on the floor for so long. She'd been using too much Ki today as well. It wouldn't normally be a problem, but she hadn't eaten yet, got barely any sleep between that nap and the last time she'd slept on Namek, had to be healed multiple times that day and even though it used Dende's Ki, it still sapped some of hers to heal the wounds, and finally the emotional rollercoaster she was on when dealing with the Saiyan Prince.

She steadied herself on the wall and took a moment to orientate herself, taking in deep breathes of air to help. She opened her eyes, not realizing she'd closed them to find Vegeta gazing at her questioningly.

"It's nothing." She told him and went to open the door out of the lab when Vegeta stopped her.

"It's not nothing woman and I'll be opening the doors now." He ordered her only to see her shake her head at him.

"Prince, we're in my _father's_ _lab_ and your level of access does not include this room." She put her hand on the door and opened it. "I'm fine, or at least I will be later after eating and getting a full night's sleep." She mumbled that last part, not realizing the Prince would hear it. "Don't worry, I really am fine."

An uneasy feeling welled in the Prince's stomach as he thought on her words. _'She hasn't eaten? But there were many tables of that so-called human food, the sandwiches and such. And her sleep? Wasn't it long enough, the time it took me to fill myself? Is it my fault?'_ he banished the thought away, refusing to feel such awful twisting in his stomach. _'She'd better not collapse, I still require her at the moment.'_ He justified to himself.

"Hmph, who would worry about you, a pathetic woman who can't even open a door?" Vegeta brushed past her, moving to the front as he took the lead, opening every door after that as they made their way outside, making sure that she wouldn't collapse from over using her Ki and consequently not being able to show him what he wanted. Vegeta made sure that even though he was in the leading position, the woman was always in reach so she couldn't disappear on him again when he was so close to achieving the thing he wanted, the training facility.

Bulma scowled at being called pathetic, but wouldn't really argue that point at the moment. She was low on Ki, sleep, and food. It was _not_ the time to get in an argument with the Saiyan Prince. She followed the Prince, trying to match his pace; not realizing that he'd been matching hers as well, so both had been slowly speeding up while moving through the halls.

The two made their way over to a good amount of land before Bulma told the Prince to stand back. He listened, albeit reluctantly, as Bulma popped the capsule and threw it as far as she could from their position. When nothing immediately happened Vegeta made to move towards the area, but Bulma put her arm out in front of him. Vegeta was about to yell at the woman and physically remove her arm but a blast of steam cut him off. Vegeta found himself speechless.

"Impressive, isn't it?" she smirked at the Saiyan. "Especially for being _primitive_." Bulma moved the spaceship and used her Ki to open the latch. A set of stairs lowered from the entrance and they made their way inside.

Vegeta took his time to survey the ship's insides, impressed at the size of the spacecraft. In room was circular with a large column like structure in the middle going from the floor to the top of the ship's insides. He tapped the floor with his foot; slowly increasing how hard he hit it to gauge how much damage it could take. He was pleased to see that there was barely a dent though he was hitting it with no Ki. He moved around the column and saw that there was some sort of door worked into it and curiosity getting the better of him, he inputted his Ki to open it.

"Access Denied" was the only answer he got. _'Maybe I'm not doing it right?'_ He put his Ki into the door on another area and got the same results. Frustrated, he kept inputting his Ki, not realizing the amusing sight he was providing for the blue haired heiress.

"Having fun there Prince?" her lips twitched as the Saiyan whirled on her, shocked that she'd been watching him. His frustrations mounted when she coolly held his gaze.

"Why won't the door open? What are you hiding woman?" He accused the woman in front of him. She scoffed at him and went up to the door. She pushed her own Ki into it and the doors opened, revealing a set of spiral stairs. She began to walk up them, but stopped when noticing that the prince wasn't following her.

"What, you were the one accusing me of hiding something. Aren't you coming?" she questioned the Prince. He frowned at her tone of voice.

He followed her anyways though, and soon he found himself on another level of the ship. Near the windows there were a few chairs and in front of the middle one there was a control panel of sorts.

"This Prince is the part of the ship that controls leaving the atmosphere and leaving this planet. It is also _not_ a part of your access, but I figured it better to show you then have you break down the door trying to get in and see what was up here. If the door breaks then I have to fix it. If I have to fix it then the gravity chamber is down and you sir are out of an area to train in until I either fix it or make a replacement. Oh, and if you thought you could leave by breaking the door and then controlling the ship, well tough luck, you need to input your Ki one more time to get the engines running, and your Ki won't work." Bulma told the Saiyan her thoughts before starting to head back down the stairs. It was not meant to be though.

"Woman, you will give me access to this ship at once. ALL parts of this ship." He gripped her arm as she went to move past him. _'How dare she not give me full access to the ship. It was a part of the deal!'_

Bulma scowled at the Prince, not appreciating being manhandled.

"No,"

"Woman-"

"No, and that is final Prince Vegeta. If you can show some degree of control, restraint, that you won't blow up this planet the moment you leave the atmosphere then I may consider otherwise. But at the moment, the answer is no."

"Woman, you will listen to my order or you will suffer the consequences." His grip tightened painfully, causing the heiress to wince at the pressure but she shook her head 'no' at the Prince. Last time the woman had winced in his grasp like this, Vegeta had let her go, but this time Vegeta would not be affected by the responses of the woman. He was too angry to be. _'This woman, this_ human _was challenging him, his authority, him the Prince of all Saiyans Vegeta. No she'd be taught a lesson!'_

Vegeta continued to tighten his grip, feeling the muscles in the woman's arm getting pushed closer together until finally he heard a snap and grind from the woman's arm.

Bulma could feel it, the pressure getting too much until finally her bone snapped in multiple parts under his hand. Bulma tried her best to keep the pain silent, screaming into her other arm to muffle the noise. _'What is with him and breaking my bones?!'_ Tears stung her eyes as they slowly slid down her face. Yet she continued to shake her head no.

"Woman!"

"NO! I will NOT give you access to this part of the ship and that is FINAL!" She screamed at his face, taking in another deep breath before continuing her tirade. "You could blow up the planet from this ship for all I know and letting you have that power is NEVER going to happen, you hear?! NEVER! I'd rather have all my bones BROKEN before giving you the power to kill my family and destroy my home while getting away from it all. I don't know you, you don't know me and why would I put that kind of trust in someone that I don't know?" Vegeta let go of the woman, shocked by her words, before he lowly growled at her. Bulma found herself unable to hold herself up and so fell in a heap on the floor, but backed away in fear at the Saiyan Prince's expression.

"Woman, it is my word that it keeping every being on this mud ball of a planet alive, and it was the promise of a ship that would keep my word from being broken. A deal doesn't work if both sides don't adhere to it you stupid wench." Vegeta got close to the woman, taking another step in her direction for every awkward shuffle back that she did. Eventually, he cornered her against a control panel and grasped her face in one of his hands.

"Do you know what happens if you break this deal wench?" His voice was that of speaking to a slow child, but full of malice, as if wishing for said child to die a horrible death. Bulma shook in his grasp, her eyes wide and her smell of terror wafted into the Saiyan Princes flaring nostrils.

"…yes…" she chocked out, her fear making the word quiet and barely audible. The Saiyan heard her, but wanted to get his message across.

"ANSWER ME!" he roared in her face.

"Y-Yes…" she squeaked out a bit louder, pushing herself as far away from the kneeling Prince as possible. Her body pushed into the wall behind her, but her face was stuck in its position in the Prince's hand.

"Good, then you know why you have to give me access to the ship, correct?"

"…Yes." Bulma looked down, not wanting to meet the gaze of the cruel Saiyan Prince. Her tears continued to fall, both from the pain and the terror of what could happen to her home.

"Yes what?" He harshly bit out. Bulma gulped and took another breath before answering him.

"Yes Prince Vegeta." Her voice was dull, but Vegeta was too angered at her to care. Hell, it may have been easier for him to have her fear him than anything else anyways, so to him it was fine if she stayed like that. His gut twisted at the thought of the woman without any fire, any light in her eyes, but he beat it down thinking of all the training he could get done.

"Now wench, give me the access to this ship and show me how it works."

…

Bulma slowly made her way back to the compound, her arm sending up jolts of pain to her brain with every step. It'd taken her an hour to get the Prince situated in the ship, to show him how it all worked, how the intercom worked to find her later, under his request, and to make it so that the extra access he was given was no more extra than to the ship. Her room and lab were still of limits to the Prince and Bulma was glad that she hadn't lost herself completely to the terror and given him Level: 1 access. _'Well, there's always a silver lining I suppose.'_

The Saiyan Prince was just proving her right, over and over again. He couldn't be trusted. Sure, the agreement allowed him to hurt but that didn't mean he had to do so over and over again. He almost seemed to take pleasure in her pain she'd think. And his 'dedication' to keep his word was strange, going as far as to threaten her to keep it. _'I know that his word means a lot to him once given, but I didn't think it'd be this important to him.'_ She contemplated, after all, she was the once that practically forced him to honor bound himself to a deal. _'It must be because his word is one of the only things he has left to offer.'_

Bulma walked back to the gardens, having a lock on Dende's Ki in there and hoped that the little Namekian was up for one more healing today. She wasn't sure how much it took out of the little guy and so promised that she'd either get beat up _less_ or learned how to heal herself.

When she opened the door, no one noticed her at first, as there seemed to be a party of some sort going on. All the Namekians were in the center of the garden in a big circle and though Bulma was curious what they were doing, she'd rather get healed at the moment.

She stalked her way closer to where she felt Dende's Ki and found that he was actually in the center of the circle and so was Gohan. The crowd was cheering them on, one side for Gohan and the other for Dende. When she made her way through the crowd she saw that they were playing a card game. Both had five cards in each hand and different colored chips were in a pile in the middle.

Both of their faces were calm and their Ki's were smooth, neither one wanting to give away what they had. Neither could trust the crowds behind the other to be giving away the right signals, having had some Namekians think it funny to spike their Ki's falsely to give the wrong signals. Hence, it was a game of reading the other person. They continued to put chips in the center, each one raising it when their turn came about until finally they were both all in. They looked at each other's eyes before nodding and lowering their cards at the same time. Gohan had a full house, but Dende has a Straight Flush, beating the Half-Saiyan pup. Dende grinned at the other child as some Namekians cheered and others groaned at the out come of the game. Gohan laughed at the reactions around him, congratulating Dende on a great game before he caught sight of Bulma.

"Bulma! Did you see that? Dende won! He's a little card master!" the Half-Saiyan pup cheered while leaping to his feet and getting closer to his honorary mother figure. He stilled though, at seeing the pain flashing through her eyes and the way her arm dangled funnily at her side. "Bulma? What's wrong?" He worried, getting close enough to touch, but didn't in case it would hurt her.

"Well, I miscalculated something." She mumbled while rubbing her good hand through her honorary pup's hair. He gazed up at her waiting for her to continue what she meant.

"It seems Vegeta takes his word more seriously than I thought." Bulma calmly told the pup. Dende came up to the duo, his face full of concern for the blue heiress. In fact, as she looked around, all the Namekians were showing some degree of concern for her. It touched the heiress, that these people who hadn't known her for very long, less than a day really, would be concerned for her. Not many humans were like that and yet the whole Namekian race seemed to have compassion for those not their own.

Fluctuating and spiking Ki caught her attention, especially when said Ki was coming from the one under her palm. She looked down to see Gohan growling in rage, infuriated at what the Saiyan Prince had done to his honorary mother.

"I'll kill him." He lowly muttered, quiet enough that Bulma could barely catch it, but loud enough that every Namekian in the room could hear it.

"No Gohan, you will not." Bulma scolded the little pup, dropping to her knees to look him in the eyes. Gohan met hers with incredulity.

"But why? He hurt you!" He whined out to the heiress, hoping she'd change her mind.

"No Gohan, just no." she shook her head, calmly saying those words while pulling the pup into her embrace. Gohan returned it, being mindful of her hurt arm.

"But Bulma, I just want to protect you." He nuzzled into her neck. Bulma patted his back.

"I know pup, I know."

"Actually, the young one isn't the only one." A voice said from above them. Bulma and Gohan raised their heads to meet the eyes of the elder Namekian. They looked in confusion at him as he motioned Dende forward who darted immediately to Bulma's hurt arm, his intent to heal it as soon as he could.

"If this is how that Saiyan Prince is going to be treating you often, then I think it's time we talked about you learning Ki."

…

 **Oh my god, never again. This is probably the longest chapter I've ever written in my life. I just never knew where to end it! Well, I hope you enjoyed it, and even if you did or didn't, if you're reading this then congratulations on completing this extremely long chapter.**

 **Please Read and Review on any kinds of comments you could make on this chapter. How you liked it, what you'd like to see next time, if there are any of your pet peeve moments coming through, etc.**


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